Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Visitation Guidelines

The St. John's Mercy Medical Center NICU provides exceptional care for newborn babies and promotes the bonding experience for all families. Achieving this goal requires a team effort between our staff and your family. The NICU has set the following guidelines to assure the safety and confidentiality of all of our patients and their families. Please share these guidelines with your visiting family and friends. If you have questions about any of these guidelines, please ask to see a charge nurse or manager.

Guidelines for Every NICU Visitor

• There is a limit of two visitors at the bedside. This includes any combination of parents, grandparents and siblings.
• Everyone entering the NICU must wash his or her hands thoroughly. For your convenience a scrub sink is located just outside the doors of the NICU North and South.
• Every visitor must complete a Wellness form at the beginning of each visit to the NICU. These forms are available at the NICU nurse's station near the NICU doors.
• For your baby's safety, anyone who has been exposed to a contagious illness, such as chicken pox, tuberculosis, or cold/flu symptoms, should not enter the NICU. Any visitor who has received a live vaccine, such as the nasal flu mist, will not be able to visit for three weeks.
• To ensure privacy and confidentiality for all of our babies, we cannot allow visitors to browse the NICU or visit any other baby. No information can be given regarding any other patient in our NICU. This includes gestational age, weight, or condition of the infant.
• There may be times throughout the year (i.e. flu season) when visiting may be restricted to parents and grandparents only.

Parents and Grandparents

• Parents are welcome at their baby's bedside at any time; there are no set visiting hours. Single parents may designate one other adult to visit. For your baby's protection, you may be asked for identification such as a driver's license or the identification bracelet given to you in the delivery room.
• Although you are encouraged to stay with your baby, there may be times when we will ask you to step out for a few minutes to protect another baby's and family's privacy.
• Your baby's medical condition will be given to you, the parents, only. The nurse will identify you by requesting the printed number from the identification bracelet given to you in the delivery room. Without this ID number, the NICU cannot provide information over the telephone.
• Grandparents are welcome to visit at any time. Grandparents may not bring any other visitors to the NICU without the parent(s) being present. If you cannot be here and wish for a grandparent to hold or feed the baby, please inform the bedside nurse in advance of the visit.
• In the event that the parents wish to restrict grandparent visitation, please notify the NICU staff.

Siblings and Other Visitors

• Siblings, 2 and older, may visit their new brother or sister in the NICU when accompanied by a parent but will not be allowed to hold babies. Parents are responsible for their children, including keeping the sibling at their baby's bedside and monitoring his or her behavior. These visits are usually short, so it may be helpful to have someone available to care for the sibling outside of the NICU.
• All siblings must be up-to-date on their immunizations.
• All other non-family visitors must be 14 years or older and must be accompanied by a parent.

Sharing in the Care of Your Baby

• We encourage you, the parents, to share in the care of your baby. Please let us know when you will be here so that we can plan your baby's care for a time when you can hold, feed, or bathe your baby.
• Although we strive to accommodate your schedule, we will not be able to postpone a feeding if you cannot be here when it is time for your baby to eat.
• For mother's who plan to breastfeed, we encourage you to provide breast milk for your baby. Our Lactation consultants are also available to assist you with pumping and/or breastfeeding concerns.
• We encourage you to ask questions at any time and we invite you to participate in our baby care classes, Mercy Mother's Milk Club and NICUP parent support group.

We appreciate your cooperation. Our mutual goal is to provide loving and compassionate care while making your baby's stay with us as brief as possible.