The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), in the Division of Newborn Medicine, is a Level III/IV, 30-bed referral center for infants requiring complex medical and surgical care. Highly specialized physicians, nurses, and support staff collaborate in the care of these critically ill infants and their families. A team from multiple specialties within Boston Children’s Hospital provides advanced therapies and family-centered care for infants from around the region and the world.
How we approach care for critically ill infants
We work closely with the Fetal Care and Surgery Center (FCSC) to coordinate both prenatal consultation and postnatal critical care for infants with a wide range of conditions. Neonatology attendings, fellows, pediatric surgical residents, and neonatal nurse practitioners are available on the unit 24 hours a day.
Infants admitted to the NICU frequently come from community hospital special care nurseries and neonatal intensive care units. A significant number of admissions to our NICU are referrals from other Level III institutions in Massachusetts, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Boston Medical Center. All three institutions are academic affiliates of the Division of Newborn Medicine. In addition, Beth Israel Deaconess and Brigham and Women’s are sites for our Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Training Program. Newborns referred from these Level III units, as well as from hospitals throughout New England, the country, and internationally, require advanced medical or surgical therapies not available where they were born.
Boston Children's was the first hospital in Massachusetts to offer induced hypothermia protocol to prevent secondary brain damage in newborns and to share these protocols with several other NICUs in the region. This therapy may prevent or reduce the risk for long-term consequences of brain injury due to loss of oxygen at birth, such as cerebral palsy, and cognitive and visual impairments.
The highest standard of care
At Boston Children's, we believe that patients and families deserve to know whether the hospital where they have chosen to receive their care meets the highest standards of quality and safety and is committed to clinical excellence. Through our Program for Patient Safety and Quality, we continuously monitor and improve the care we provide our patients.
Year of the Family: Because when families thrive, babies do too.
We’re proud to introduce Year of the Family — an initiative dedicated to supporting families during their child’s stay in our NICU.
By focusing on what matters most — parental well-being, open communication, family education, and celebrating every milestone in their baby’s care — Year of the Family helps families feel seen and supported.
