Missouri Baptist Medical Center, which delivers more than 4,000 babies each year, recently received a Level IIIA NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) designation for its nursery, as determined by the American Academy of Pediatrics in conjunction with the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. 

This means Missouri Baptist's NICU is accredited to care for premature babies born at more than 28 weeks gestation and weighing more than 1,000 grams, providing sustained and conventional life support.

"In the past, if an unstable baby was admitted for more than 48 hours without change or worsening illness, our neonatologists would consider sending the baby and the family to St. Louis Children's Hospital," says Cori Miller, RN, nurse manager of pediatric services. "Now, the baby and her family will be able to remain in our care -- unless, of course, they need surgery or an extremely high level of care. In those cases, it's in the baby's best interest that the care occur in the NICU at St. Louis Children's Hospital -- one of the nation's top pediatric hospitals."

The NICU physicians at Missouri Baptist Medical Center are all Washington University neonatologists, on-staff at St. Louis Children's Hospital. 
 
The Missouri Baptist Labor and Delivery Department has a strong collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine. "Their physicians staff our Center for Women's Wellness and Fetal Health, which specializes in multiples and other high risk deliveries," says Miller. "At every high-risk delivery, in addition to the delivery team, we have a pediatrician or neonatologist and a specially trained nurse who care specifically for the babies. If a mother is having multiple babies, we have a team for each baby."

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that a Level IIIA (subspecialty) NICUs, can care for newborns experiencing extreme prematurity, those who are critically ill or even those who require minor surgical intervention. Level II (specialty care nurseries), provide basic care plus they provide care to infants who are moderately ill with challenges which are expected to resolve quickly or who are recovering from serious illness treated in a Level III NICU.  Level I (basic care), is the minimum requirement for any facility which provides inpatient maternity care. The facility must have personnel and equipment to resuscitate, evaluate healthy newborns and provide postnatal care, and stabilize ill newborn infants until transfer to a facility that provides intensive care.