Families and visitors with children in the NICU should be advised of our infection control policies before their visit. For the safety of our patients, if you are not well, do not come to the NICU.
Babies in the NICU can get infections very easily and these infections can delay discharge and may have long term effects. With this in mind we have developed the following guidelines:
Everyone who enters the NICU must be free of infection. Please do not visit, and make your family aware they are not to visit, if you or they have:
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Rash
- Measles, chicken pox
- Weeping cold sores
- Runny nose
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Mumps
- Pink eye
- Flu-like symptoms
If someone has had exposure to chickenpox, mumps, measles, whooping cough or any other childhood illness within the last 14 days they are considered to be infectious and should not come to the NICU.
Hand washing is the major precaution we take to prevent infection in the NICU. Remember to wash your hands before touching your baby.
All parents must wear a gown when holding their baby unless breastfeeding or doing skin-to-skin (kangaroo care).
The majority of our babies are self-contained in individual isolettes that help to prevent infection. In special cases of severe infection, the NICU has a separate isolation room bedside the nursing station for the baby to receive private critical care.
