NICU: Keeping Our Babies Close to Home

Giving birth to a child is a wonderful experience; however, giving birth to a child prematurely can be very stressful and worrisome.  Imagine delivering your newborn and immediately having to transport him or her to an entirely different hospital, in an entirely different county.  If you gave birth to a premature baby in Charlotte County, most likely your baby would require special transportation to another hospital to receive the specialized intensive care that he or she needed, until now...

Peace River Regional Medical Center has a vision to provide a continuum of services and facilities to manage the health care needs of the citizens of Charlotte County and its contiguous counties.  As the only Licensed Obstetric and Pediatric Units in Charlotte County, Peace River Regional recognized the need in the community for a unit specializing in providing a high level of intensive care for premature or ill newborn infants.  In response to this need, came the creation of our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU.

We understand that you want to keep your babies close to home, & so do we.

Features of the NICU

*A 7-bed unit that will provide care for infants weighing between 2 1/4 and seven pounds.
*State-of-the-art equipment to care for premature or ill newborn infants.
*Individual rooms, or pods, with the latest in technology to allow these infants to grow naturally while remaining bonded with their families. 
*A family room to allow parents to learn to care for their infants while medical staff members are available for questions and assistance. 
*A breastfeeding room to assist and counsel breastfeeding mothers.
*Transport equipment to allow staff to care for premature infants in operating rooms or the emergency room.

Your Baby's Health Care Team

Your baby has a health care team of specially trained professionals.  These members of the NICU team will work together with you to develop an individualized plan of care for your baby.

Clinical Dietitian

Has special expertise in nutrition for babies.

Developmental Intervention Team

     Occupational Therapist

     Has special training in infant development.

     Physical Therapist

     Has special training in assessing and helping muscle tone and movement problems.

     Speech & Language Pathologist

     Has special training in feeding problems like sucking and swallowing.

Lactation Consultant

Specializes in breastfeeding and the understanding of lactation fundamentals.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Trained and certified in newborn intensive care. 

Neonatologist

Specifically trained to care for newborn infants who are ill or requiring special medical care due to prematurity.  Joining us from All Children's Hospital in St. Pete, Florida.  Click here to learn more about our Neonatologists on staff. 

Nursing Staff

Will most frequently care for your baby, develop your baby’s nursing care plan and teach you to care for him/her. 

Pharmacist

Has special expertise in medications for babies. 

Resource Manager

Assists with non-medical issues, such as insurance, transportation and emotional support.

Respiratory Therapist

Has special training for care and management of oxygen, breathing machines, etc.

To learn more about prematurity, please visit: March of Dimes, About Prematurity