Special Babies, Special Care

Nurses in the NICU do more than just care for the babies at risk.

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Special Circumstances

When most of us think of giving birth, we picture hard labor followed by the sweet reward of taking home a healthy, thriving baby. For some parents, that process takes longer than it does for others. If your child is premature or has a health problem at birth, such as an infection, he may have to spend some time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), an area of the hospital reserved for newborns who come into the world needing specialized medical care. Some babies spend only several hours there; others, many months. But regardless of how long your baby is there, rest assured that he's closely monitored by NICU nurses, who undergo special training to care for the most fragile of babies. We talked to Michelle Fumagalli, RN, a NICU nurse manager at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, about what to expect if your baby winds up in the NICU.

Next: What Is the NICU?

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