All expectant parents hope that their baby will be healthy. Yet sometimes problems arise that require a newborn to be hospitalized. When this happens, the baby may be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for treatment. Although not all babies in the NICU have the same illness or condition, there are several diagnoses common to newborns who need intensive care. Read on to learn more about these conditions, how they are treated, and how long infants usually stay in the unit after they have been diagnosed.

What Is the NICU?
Sick newborns need specialized treatment, because they are still developing rapidly. The NICU is an intensive care unit created to meet those needs, with equipment designed for infants and hospital staff who have special training in newborn care. Sometimes it is also called a special care nursery, an intensive care nursery, or newborn intensive care.

"A baby's unexpected admission to the special care nursery is always stressful. The doctors, nurses, and other caregivers strive to provide emotional support for the family, in addition to caring for the infant's medical needs," explains Michael L. Spear, MD, a neonatologist.

Only very young babies (or babies with a condition linked to being born prematurely) are treated in the NICU, usually infants who have not gone home from the hospital yet. How long they remain in the unit depends on the severity of their illness. Some of the "older" babies you see in the NICU have probably been there longer. A baby may be sent to the unit if he is born prematurely, if difficulties occur during the delivery, or if he shows signs of a problem in the first few days of life.

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