Neonatal doctors in Plantation, Florida

If your child requires extra medical support following delivery, you can feel confident in the quality of care they will receive at the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Plantation General Hospital. Our Level III distinction acknowledges the high level of advanced care we are equipped to provide.

To learn more about the care provided at our Level III NICU, please call our Consult-A-Nurse® team at (954) 321-4099.

What is a NICU?

A NICU is an advanced hospital unit that provides intensive care to newborns following labor and delivery. If your child is born prematurely, with an illness or requires extra medical care following birth, they may be admitted to the NICU.

Many newborns admitted to the NICU will be placed in an incubator (specialized warming bed for infants). Every infant in the NICU is closely monitored by highly trained neonatologists and other healthcare professionals.

Level III NICU services

Our NICU has a Level III designation. This means we offer a higher level of infant care than other facilities. Our 31-bed NICU provides:

  • Neonatologist (board certified and fellowship trained) and neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP; nationally certified) onsite 24 hours a day
  • 24-hour neonatal transport team available with highly-trained registered nurses and respiratory therapists to transfer newborns from other area hospitals to our NICU
  • Lactation nurses dedicated to caring for NICU families
  • Respiratory therapist onsite 24 hours a day with Level III NICU experience
  • Highly-secured unit with state-of-the-art infant security
  • Neonatal speech therapists with expertise in swallowing disorders and specialized training in infant feeding
  • Dedicated case manager for the Level III NICU and obstetric areas
  • Dedicated support staff in physical therapy helps facilitate movement to aid in development
  • Neonatal abstinence syndrome scoring to identify withdrawal symptoms
  • Preoperative and postoperative stabilization, if surgery is needed

In addition to the services listed above, you will have access to consultations from pediatric subspecialists in ophthalmology, echocardiography, genetics, radiology, neurology, infectious diseases and allergy care. Once your child is discharged from the NICU, we provide follow-up care to monitor your child's condition as they grow and heal.

Specialized treatments and programs

We offer a wide range of treatment options and dedicated programs to ensure every newborn in our care is receiving the individualized care they need. Treatments and programs at our Level III NICU include:

  • Neonatal ventilators for respiratory support
  • Long-term nutritional support provided through total parenteral nutrition (TPN)—nutrition provided through intravenous administration of necessary nutrients
  • Nitric oxide administration available to treat newborns with persistent pulmonary hypertension (type of high blood pressure affecting the arteries in the lungs and heart)
  • Total body cooling as a treatment for newborns to reduce the body temperature after birth and prevent potential brain damage
  • Donor milk program, which allows supplementation with donor milk when a mother is unable to provide enough breast milk
  • Cuddle program, which provides trained volunteers who come in and hold NICU babies when families are unable to visit, aiding in developmental support
  • Cribs for Kids® safe sleep program, which uses specialized swaddles instead of blankets to create a safer sleep environment for infants
  • Support for the mothers own milk initiative by the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative (FPQC), aimed at increasing the amount of milk received by low birth weight infants from the mother
  • Specialized turtle baths for bathing babies in the NICU that allows babies to remain swaddled

Parental support

We know that having a child in the NICU can be stressful. Our staff make the extra effort to provide resources and education opportunities for parents, including:

  • Parent-baby classes
  • CPR training for parents and caregivers
  • Bereavement committee with grief counseling

Baby care classes

The staff a our NICU want parents to feel confident caring for their baby at home. We hold baby care classes once a week for families with babies in the NICU. These classes, led by nurses certified in teaching infant CPR, help parents feel more comfortable when they take their baby home.

NICU breastfeeding support

Parents are considered part of the care team in the NICU, and, as infants improve, parents are encouraged to provide breast or bottle feedings. A baby in the NICU may not be able to breastfeed immediately, so we encourage parents to be patient until your child is well enough to feed. To ensure babies start with their mothers’ milk, women who plan to breastfeed can store their pumped breast milk and colostrum in an on-site freezer until it’s needed.

Our hospital also features a lactation center. Lactation consultants are available to work with new moms one-on-one, offering breastfeeding classes before delivery. Upon request, they will also meet with new moms after delivery.

Safe sleep environment

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained death of a healthy infant, normally occurring while the baby is asleep. SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants between one month and one year old. Below are some suggestions to help you create a safe sleep environment for your baby and reduce the risk of SIDS:

  • Always place your baby on their back to sleep, for naps and at night
  • Use a firm sleep surface that is covered by a fitted sheet, such as a crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard that conforms to national safety standards
  • Do not let your baby sleep in an adult bed, on a couch or a chair whether alone, with you or with another person
  • Keep your baby's sleep area in the same room where you sleep for their first year
  • Do not routinely use devices—such as bouncy seats, swings, infant carriers or strollers—as sleeping areas for your baby
  • Keep soft objects—such as pillows, blankets, toys and bumpers—out of your baby's sleep area
  • Do not use wedges and positioners in your baby's sleeping area
  • Do not smoke during pregnancy or allow others to smoke near your baby
  • Do not let your baby get too hot during sleep with excess clothing or blankets
  • Breastfeed when possible and approved, as it may reduce your child's risk of SIDS
  • Give your baby a dry pacifier that is not attached to a string for naps and at night
  • Employing supervised skin-to-skin contact immediately following birth may reduce your child's risk of SIDS
  • Follow your healthcare provider's guidance on vaccinations and regular checkups for your baby