neonatal intensive care unit
NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)
Childbirth needs a lot of changes for the mother and the newborn. Before birth, the fetus depends on its mother's body for normal bodily functions. When the child is born, the body needs to adjust to life outside the mother's body.
Cases like a Preterm birth, or a difficult birth, can make these changes more challenging. But a lot of special care is available to help newborn babies
What Is The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)?
Newborn babies who require extra care get into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The NICU has advanced technology and trained healthcare professionals to give special treatment to the tiniest patients.
Some newborn babies will require care in the NICU. Giving birth to a sick or premature baby can be unexpected for any parent. The NICU can be overwhelming. The team of nurses at LifeCare Hospitals is very empathetic and trained to make you comfortable and cater to all your baby's needs.
Which Babies Need Special Care?
Preterm babies with low birth weight or a health condition that need special care get admitted to NICU. Twins, triplets, and other multiples often are admitted to the NICU. They tend to be born earlier and smaller than single-birth babies. Babies with health conditions such as breathing trouble, heart problems, and infections are also cared for in the NICU.
Babies born under certain circumstances mostly need NICU care. They are:- Being younger than age 16 or older than age 40
- Drug or alcohol use
- Diabetes
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure (hypertension) Bleeding
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, or more)
- Too little or too much amniotic fluid
- Premature rupture of membranes (also called the amniotic sac or bag of water)
- Changes in a baby’s organ systems due to lack of oxygen
- Breech birth
- The baby's first stool passed during pregnancy into the amniotic fluid
- Umbilical cord wrapped around the baby's neck
- Forceps or cesarean delivery
NICU team
The team of doctors and nurses in the NICU are highly specialized and specially trained to work with infants. It usually includes:
- Neonatologist: a paediatrician with extra training in sick and premature babies.
- Paediatric resident
- Neonatal nurse practitioner: a registered nurse with extra training to care for newborn babies.
- Respiratory therapist
- Dietitians
- Lactation consultants
The team provides every possible care to newborns to revive them as early as possible.
- Preterm baby
- Low baby weight
- Small for gestational age
- Defects from birth
- Respiratory distress, rapid breathing, grunting or stopping breathing
- Infections
- Seizures
- Low blood sugar
- Need for extra oxygen or monitoring
A Leading NICU Hospital In Kenya
LifeCare Hospitals is one of the leading NICU hospitals in Bungoma, Meru, Migori, Kikuyu and Eldoret. They offer a full range of neonatal intensive care services to ensure infants are born healthy. Their highly trained professional staff provide comprehensive care to all newborns, making sure they get the best start in life. The hospital features advanced medical facilities and state-of-the-art technology that helps ensure babies receive the highest quality of care possible.
From specialized delivery rooms to 24/7 neonatal coverage from a team of board-certified paediatricians and neonatologists – LifeCare Hospitals has it all. The hospital also provides the latest treatments for premature and sick infants as well as monitors their growth and development over time.
Services & Specialities
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Why choose us?
Safe Care: Delivering health care which minimizes risks and harm to service users.
Reliable Care: Ability to successfully provide safe and person-centered care repeatedly. That we are effective, efficient and accessible/timely.
Patient Experience: Patients are an integral part of experiencing quality and safety related processes and are the ultimate recipients of care and judges of quality. That we are equitable and patient-centered in service delivery.