NICU
The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) provides critical care to newborns who are ill or premature. Many factors may lead to a newborn being admitted to the NICU, including low birth weight or complications during delivery. The NICU staff works closely with parents to develop a treatment plan for their newborn.
Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Miami
When your little one needs extra attention following birth, it's important that they receive care from a highly experienced NICU team.
Our Level III NICU at HCA Florida Mercy Hospital is there to provide the compassionate support your baby needs. Our NICU is directed by nationally certified neonatologists and is equipped to provide an advanced level of intensive care for newborns. We also have a special care nursery for babies who need extra attention but don't require the care of a NICU.
Related Specialties
Learn more about our related specialties
Our Level III NICU
Our range of treatment options and support services includes:
Neonatal support
Level III NICUs provide subspecialty care for babies born earlier than 32 weeks gestation as well as babies born with critical illnesses at all gestational ages.
Our NICU's staff is specially trained to support babies who are having trouble breathing. They are also equipped to deliver IV fluids to babies who cannot feed regularly. Additionally, we offer a full range of respiratory support and perform advanced imaging.
We take pride in offering you and your baby a full range of services, including:
- Breastfeeding support from lactation consultants
- Colostrum care (provides immunological support)
- Kangaroo care (provides skin-to-skin contact to the newborn, which is critical during infancy)
- Massage therapy
Multidisciplinary NICU team
To ensure we can deliver prompt neonatal care after labor and delivery, our experienced neonatologists and neonatal nurses provide 24/7 care in our NICU. These specialists are supported by:
- Audiologists
- Pediatric cardiac specialists
- Physical and occupational therapists
- Radiologists
- Respiratory therapists
- Social workers
NICU transport services
In cases where your baby is born exceptionally prematurely or critically ill, our NICU staff can help stabilize and prepare your baby for transport to another facility for a higher level of care. In other instances, critically ill newborns may require pediatric surgery or follow-up care that requires a transfer to another location.
Expansive NICU visitation hours
Our neonatal team recognizes the need for parents to be involved in their baby's care. Our unit is open 22 hours a day for visitation. We only close during shift changes — from 7:00am to 8:00am and from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.
Visitor safety guidelines
All visitors must wash their hands for three minutes before entering the unit. Our NICU staff will provide your family with handwashing guidelines on admission. We allow visits from siblings who are 13 years old and older. Every sibling must bring a vaccination record before entering the unit. We will also take an initial temperature to make sure siblings do not have a fever before entering the NICU.
Visitor restrictions may be subject to change. For the latest visitation policy, please call the hospital or consult with your nurse.
Taking your baby home from the NICU
The length of time in the NICU depends on the plan of care and severity of the illness being treated.
When baby can leave the NICU
- Adequate weight gain
- Baby's ability to breathe without assistance
- Baby's ability to maintain their temperature
- Baby's ability to feed well by mouth
- Baby outgrowing apnea and bradycardia spells (A and B spells)
- Completion of tests, such as a hearing screen and car seat study, if applicable
It's important to choose a pediatrician for follow-up care before your baby is discharged from the hospital.