If there is time, you and your spouse or partner are invited on a personal tour through the NICU unit. If not, we get right to work easing your concerns and preparing the way to evaluate your newborn and arrange for any tests or therapies that may be needed.
If necessary, we will attend the delivery of your baby either at Rainbow or at the UHHS community hospital most convenient to you. Immediately after delivery, we safely transport your infant to the NICU so that you and your new baby can begin life together with state-of-the-art neonatal care.
Our Division specialists will take care of your baby as long as necessary—from two or three days to several months. If it turns out that your baby requires a longer hospital stay, Rainbow offers a Transitional Care Center, one of the first programs in the country for families with infants who spend long periods in the NICU. In this Center, you can stay with your baby much of the time, actively participate in caring for him, and get ready for life at home.
When you’re at Rainbow, you will receive help from our mental health professionals who support the emotional needs and challenges of families coping with a low birth weight or sick infant who requires a long hospital stay. Because we know how difficult it is for you and your family, we work closely with all of you to ease the stress and address your concerns. Our entire team of physicians, neonatal nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, social workers, and other specialists all work toward the same goal—to send you home with your baby as healthy as possible.
At Rainbow, our Division offers one of the best follow-up programs in the country for children who have been born prematurely. We will continue to monitor your child for vision and hearing development and make sure that she is developmentally on track for her age.
If you have concerns about your pregnancy or newborn baby, be sure to first speak with your obstetrician or OB/GYN caregiver. If you have other questions, call us directly at 216-844-3387.