Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

All expectant parents hope that their babies will be healthy. Yet sometimes problems arise that result in a newborn requiring highly specialized care. When this happens, infants benefit greatly from having immediate access to advanced care at Hoag.

From Hoag’s level IIIa neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Newport Beach and our special care nursery (SCN) in Irvine, Hoag serves our community with advanced, around-the-clock care for infants born prematurely, or with complications.

Hoag’s level IIIa NICU offers:

• Expert neonatal team consisting of two board-certified neonatologists from Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) on unit 24 hours a day/7 days a week;

• Additional support medical team experts including neonatal nurses, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, social services case managers, lactation consultants, pharmacists as well as other specialists

• Advanced state-of-the-art technical equipment Individualized quality care

Always Connected

When parents and families are not able to be with their baby physically, they can still spend time with their baby remotely bedside using the NICVIEW web cameras.* Parents, family members and friends can log in to the secure portal from anywhere at any time, which helps with feeling connected.

*Made possible by the generosity of the Legacy Foundation.

Advanced Care After Discharge

Through the specialized development clinic, NICU alumni are followed up to two years after birth by a team of neonatal experts to ensure developmental milestones are met and families have access to the resources and specialists, they need to continue providing quality care to their baby after leaving the NICU.

Hoag and CHOC Partnership

Through a collaborative partnership between Hoag and CHOC, our community has access to specialized neonatal care when they need it most. The partnership includes a designated neonatal transport team for immediate transfer from Hoag to CHOC, should neonatal surgery or more intensive care be required.

Additionally, expert consultations are available via a real-time, telemedicine video conferencing with CHOC specialists such as neurologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, geneticists, infectious disease, and endocrinologists.

Hoag Hospital also houses a CHOC Children’s Specialty Outpatient Clinic at Hoag Health Center- Newport Beach to address the special needs of our pediatric patients within the community, including an afterhours pediatric urgent care called PM Pediatric Urgent Care.

Through the practice of mindfulness and self-compassion parents and families with babies currently in the NICU, or recently discharged from the hospital, will gain skills to:

• take mindful pauses

• anchor in their breath

• broaden and open their awareness

• direct attention

• become more in tune with their body and its essential needs for rest and joy

• offer compassion to oneself, their partners and babies

• feel empowered through self-awareness and self-acceptance

Nurturing the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion establishes a strong foundation for mindful parenting, joy, and resilience – the ability to overcome adversity and gain more assets and lifelong inner resources for hardiness and happiness.

Class Details

• When: Tuesdays, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

• Where: NICU Parent Lounge, 6 East, Women’s Health Institute, Main Hospital, Newport Beach

Family-centered care

Having a baby who requires special medical attention can be very stressful for parents. However, the physicians, nurses, and other caregivers in the NICU will do their best to provide emotional support for you, while caring for your infant’s medical needs.

Hoag’s NICU team understands the importance of partnering with families to ensure seamless care for their baby. As a family-centered care unit, the NICU team is dedicated to developing the role of the parent and collaborates with families in the journey towards recovery. Hoag’s neonatal team is committed to supporting the needs of infants and their families, and sending babies home that are well and part of a dynamic family unit.

Family education and support

An important element of Hoag’s family centered care model is education and support for the family. From the time of arrival in the NICU, to the day of discharge, the neonatal team provides step-by-step education on the treatment plan of the infant. Parents also receive educational materials on what to expect while in the NICU, and the transition home.

Developmental care

There is a striking difference between a mother’s womb and a Neonatal Intensive Care environment. Hoag’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit recognizes this and utilizes strategies such as Developmental Care to create a womblike environment that minimizes the stress experienced by preterm or critically ill infants.

Hoag NICU has modified the extrauterine environment for infants and families through features such as decreasing light and noise levels, providing longer rest periods, proper positioning and providing therapeutic touch and comfort. Through Developmental Care, babies are seen by an expert occupational therapist, with continued follow-up to two years old, if needed.

For more information on Hoag’s comprehensive Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, please call 949-764-BABY (2229).