Neonatal ICU

Visiting the NICU

Neonatal ICU

Visiting Hours and Policies

The NICU family hours are designed to support the family unit and promote family interaction while maintaining optimal patient safety. The NICU is a locked unit for your baby’s safety and protection. Please continue to wear your blue/pink ID band during your baby’s stay in the NICU. If it must be taken off, please keep it with you when coming into the NICU.

Parents can be present at all times, except during the nursing shift change (6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.).

NicView™: A Virtual Visit of Your Baby in the NICU

Separation from your baby is one of the hardest and most stressful things that a new parent will have to encounter. However, parents of babies in our NICU are able to watch a live video streaming of their baby through NicView, a secure web camera. There is no charge for this service. It has been made possible through the generous donation from Mary’s Dream: Caring for Fragile Infants and their Families.

The NICU staff will help you schedule a time for live streaming of your baby to your personal device. A written consent is required, and the view times will be limited to one hour per day. A password will be provided to you and technical help is available if needed.

Family Member Visits

For the health and well-being of your baby, we ask that you observe the following NICU policies for visiting family members.

  • Families will be asked to provide the NICU staff with the names of family members who will be spending time with their baby. One parent must accompany any other family member who spends time with your baby.
  • Parents can be present 24/7. Family members are welcome 22 hours per day. The NICU closes during nursing shift changes (6:30-7:30 a.m.) and (6:30-7:30 p.m.) to ensure the privacy of patient information.
  • All designated family members must enter through the main NICU entrance.
  • Family members must wash their hands (wash for 1 minute) prior to spending time with the baby. Please have family members use hand sanitizers like Purell in between hand-washings.
  • We ask that only four family members, including parents, be at a patient bedside at a time. Family members should remain at the bedside of their infant only to protect patient privacy.
  • Except for parents of the baby, no one with cold symptoms, or any illness/fever within the previous 24 hours, should come to the NICU to be with a baby.

Sibling Visits

Only the baby’s siblings ages 5 and above may visit and only for brief periods of time with the baby; no other children may enter the NICU, and no strollers are permitted in the NICU. In addition to being at least 5, all siblings spending time in the NICU must be:

  • Accompanied and supervised at all times by a parent or an adult family member. Children may not be left unattended in the waiting area or the family rooms. Any child who is disruptive to the babies in the NICU will be asked to leave.
  • Up-to-date on their immunizations.
  • Physically well, with no audible cough, no cold, diarrhea or fever within the previous 24 hours, and not known to have been recently exposed to a communicable disease such as measles, mumps, etc.

Important Notes

  • During flu/RSV season (approximately from October to April, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control), visitor restrictions may be in place at Englewood Hospital and no children are permitted in the NICU. Please ask a member of our team if restrictions are in place at a given time, or visit our main Visitor Policies and Hours page.
  • Situations may arise requiring family members to leave and/or to be restricted from spending time in the NICU if necessary for the critical health and safety of the babies and functioning of the unit. Medical and nursing staff will decide when the situation in the NICU renders restrictions necessary. We are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause for our other families.

Family Rooms

To support bonding and breastfeeding, we have a limited number of sleeper rooms for parents to use based on your baby’s individual needs and condition. Please assist us by complying with a few simple guidelines for the scheduling and safe use of these rooms.

  • Rooms are reserved for mother and significant other based on the needs of the baby. Children/siblings are not permitted to stay in the room overnight.
  • Rooms are assigned daily by your NICU team.
  • All rooms must be cleared of all personal items by 10 a.m. every day. This allows for cleaning and reassignment of the area. Please be sure to return your room key to the NICU staff every day.
  • All room assignments will be issued by 2 p.m. daily. You will receive the room key at that time for the stay for that day. Rooms may be reserved for one night at a time only, and we anticipate that they will be used for no more than 5 days by any family.
  • Please remember to remove all personal items from the room and all food from the refrigerators. These rooms are still within the hospital, so please remember to comply with all safety practices. (No smoking, no open flames, etc.)
  • Any questions or concerns please see your NICU nursing staff. We are here to assist you.
  • Food in the Family Room: Refrigerators are available in the family rooms for your use. Please be sure to label any food with your name and the date. Upon leaving the family room for the day, please be sure to remove any food from the refrigerator and take it with you. Please be considerate of others who may use the room; keep the refrigerator and surrounding area clean.
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