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he Newborn Intensive Care Unit, one floor above The Birthplace at Bridgeport Hospital, is located in a spacious, bright wing that allows our neonatal team to provide the best care to infants who need immediate attention at birth.

Infants rest in special bassinets that keep them warm, while monitors record their blood pressure, the amount of oxygen in their blood, and other vital information. Specially trained nurses and physicians watch over the newborns 24 hours a day.

Our neonatologists (pediatricians who specialize in the care of critically ill or low-birthweight infants) work as a team with perinatologists (obstetricians who specialize in high-risk pregnancies) to give pregnant women and their infants the most advanced care.

Our neonatal team is focused on helping both the babies and their families, giving each one tender, loving care and support. It isn’t home, but our team does its best to make families and their newborns feel comfortable and cozy during their stay in the NBICU.

Family-Centered Care
At Bridgeport Hospital, the family plays a central role in the medical care of their newborn. Our NBICU team partners with parents and families in caring for their infants.

Parents receive regular updates about their baby. Our NBICU team has a constant, open dialogue with parents, seeking their input and making sure they understand the situation involving their newborn. Parents are always encouraged to ask questions. For complicated cases, or at your request, a more formal family meeting can be scheduled with the social worker, case manager, nurses, neonatologist and other members of the NBICU team.

Visiting Hours
We encourage moms and dads to visit anytime, 24 hours a day, to hold, touch and bond with their baby. Free parking is available to parents during the baby’s stay in the NBICU. Two to three days before the baby goes home, parents have the opportunity to stay overnight in a room in the NBICU to see firsthand the round-the-clock care their baby needs so they know what to expect once their home.

Grandparents are welcome anytime but it is preferred that they visit from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Other visitors are also encouraged to visit anytime from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with the baby’s parents. If brothers and sisters have had chicken pox or the chicken pox (varicella) vaccine, they can visit the Newborn Intensive Care Unit with their parents. (Please have the pediatrician’s office fax the proof of vaccination directly to the NBICU at 203-384-4962.) For questions about visiting hours and guidelines, please speak with the NBICU staff.

If special circumstances make it difficult for family members and/or friends to observe the guidelines for visiting hours, let the NBICU staff know. The team will do its best to accommodate the family’s needs and wishes. Please discuss any special requests with the nurse.

You can help us keep our patients well by asking friends and family members not to visit or to stay in the waiting area outside the NBICU if they have any symptoms of a cold or diarrhea, or have recently been exposed to any of the following:

  • chicken pox,
  • measles,
  • mumps,
  • rubella (German measles,)
  • flu, and
  • pertussis (whooping cough).

All of these precautions are in place to protect your newborn and other babies being cared for in the NBICU.

Privacy & Security
To protect and honor each family’s privacy, our neonatal team only discusses the newborn’s condition and progress with the baby’s parents. If other family members should be informed directly, our team will work to fulfill these wishes.

When the newborn is brought to the NBICU, moms and dads are given wristbands to identify them and ease the visitation process. If mom or dad isn’t around, then another family member can receive the wristband.

All visitors are buzzed in and out through the security door at the unit’s entrance to ensure the safety of our tiniest patients.

Family Support
Committed to family-centered care, our neonatal team works with parents so they are ready for the day when they take their newborn home. Services provided include:

  • Kangaroo Care: Moms and dads are taught how to properly hold their baby, skin-to-skin, to promote parent-infant bonding.
  • Breastfeeding and Lactation Support: New moms can nurse at their bedside behind a privacy curtain or use one of our private breastfeeding rooms to nurse their infants as soon as the little ones are ready. Lactation consultants are available to assist new moms.
  • Jack’s Garden: A spacious, private room within the unit where parents can spend one-on-one time with their infant. The room also features books about premature babies, including age-appropriate children’s books for siblings to read.
  • Tiny Miracles’ Room: A resource room for baby’s family members with a kitchenette, bathroom, lockers and a computer with Internet access.
  • Emotional Support: Social workers, chaplains and spiritual advisors are available to help care for the family’s emotional needs.
  • Community Groups: The NBICU team connects parents with community groups like the Tiny Miracles Foundation and PATH (Parents Available to Help), organizations that are focused on assisting moms and dads and their newborns.