The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), located on Kidd 5 of KHSC's Kingston General Hospital site and is dedicated to providing the most advanced and compassionate care for our youngest patients.
While most of the infants we care for are premature, we do provide care for some full-term babies who need specialized care. Each year approximately 400 patients are admitted to our 24 bed facility. The average stay for a baby in the NICU is 16 days.
At every step of the way, we'll do our best to help you understand why your baby needs special care. We know this can be a very stressful and confusing time for you and your family and our goal is to provide your baby with the best possible care so that he or she can go home as soon as possible. During this time we encourage you to actively participate in your child's care. We want you act as your child's voice and provide the kind of nurturing that only a parent or loved one can. That's why we encourage you to be with your child as much as you can.
Our NICU staff is concerned not only for your baby’s well-being, but for yours as well. Babies need healthy, confident families to take them home. Emotions in the NICU are different for each person and you may find it is like being on an emotional roller coaster. We understand the uncertainty is not easy to deal with, along with all of your “outside the NICU” life commitments. Your bedside nurse, charge nurse, and social worker can help you with:
- Emotional support: Professional counselling or just a shoulder to lean on
- Knowledge: We’ll help you get your questions answered by the best person
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Financial guidance: From learning about social assistance to finding out about community and hospital resources
Please ask questions or discuss concerns you may have with your baby’s nurse or doctor at any point.
Click here to access an orientation module for NICU parents developed by our neonatologists.
