Neonatal Intensive Care Services, Level II NICU

A Level II NICU: For Mother and Baby Who Need Highly Specialized Care

If your baby is premature or you have a high-risk pregnancy, you can rely on the experienced, dedicated staff of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). And if your newborn baby has unexpected health issues at birth, our NICU experts will join your health care team seamlessly to provide expert care, comfort and information to you and your family.

Our medical staff includes physicians who are board certified in neonatology, a subspecialty of pediatrics that focuses on specialized care for newborns with complex health conditions. Our team also includes physicians who are board certified in maternal fetal medicine and care of both mother and fetus during pregnancy and delivery. In addition, our nursing team consists of registered nurses highly trained in intensive care of newborns.

Modern technology in the NICU ensures intensive one-to-one care and features a state-of-the-art monitoring system. We use advanced equipment designed especially for premature babies and other newborn babies with special healthcare needs.

At Mount Sinai South Nassau, we value family connections and recognize that it is emotionally difficult to cope with the separation that results when a newborn is admitted to the NICU. To ease that burden and to strengthen and foster the family bond, we offer virtual visiting with NICU babies. Virtual visiting provides an opportunity for siblings and extended family members to see, talk, read, sing, hear and bond with their new little family member.

Inability to interact with the new brother or sister may bring fear and uncertainty to siblings at home. Our virtual visiting program and involvement of our Child Life Specialist allow siblings to see the new baby and get their questions answered in a developmentally appropriate manner. Big brothers and sisters often see photos of their babies in the NICU with various pieces of medical equipment in use, which can be scary for them. Our program helps these children understand what the equipment does to help their new sister/brother get stronger so they can go home. Utilizing gentle explanations, offering opportunities for expressing feelings, providing ideas to create a family-like environment and suggestions on how they can help their mommies and daddies when their baby comes home, are some the topics we cover.

Families have the opportunity to set virtual visits during the weekday hours. The Child Life Specialist works with families to arrange an appropriate time for the visit, helps set up the apps on families’ personal devices (e.g., cell phones, iPads) and is present for the duration of the visit (usually about 10-20 minutes). The medical team is also available to answer questions about the baby’s medical needs. Siblings are encouraged to draw pictures and send photos of themselves to be displayed near the baby’s isolette.

From our staff to our facilities, our NICU offers some of the most advanced care available for our littlest patients.

Why Choose Mount Sinai South Nassau?

Our neonatologists are happy to meet with your family prior to delivery when we anticipate that your infant may require NICU admission. We help you understand what to expect during the admission, and the anticipated follow-up care required upon discharge.

Our virtual tour will show you where you and your baby will receive care and introduce you to the various staff who will take care of your infant.

Our health care team understands that having an infant in the NICU is an anxious time for parents and families. We are here to help you through your NICU experience. Our goal is to make the hospital experience as positive as possible for you and your family. Visit your baby as often as possible and to take an active role in your child’s care. What you notice about your baby is important. We encourage you to attend and participate in daily bedside medical rounds when we see your baby. Each day, the neonatologist caring for your baby will call you to update you on your baby’s condition and answer any questions you have. We always encourage you to ask questions about your baby’s progress and to raise any concerns about your child’s condition.

In addition to routine NICU care, our expertise includes:

• Advanced respiratory care (including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation and nitric oxide)
• Laser treatment for retinopathy of prematurity
  

Our special programs include the following:

• Neonatal Resuscitation Program
  
• Child Life tele-visits for siblings
  
• NICU-based multidisciplinary discharge planning rounds,
  
• Lactation support, provided by our staff of dedicated certified lactation consultants; in addition, many of our mother/baby nurses are either certified lactation counselors or international board-certified lactation consultants.
  
• Chaplain services
  
• 24-hour live translation services, available in hundreds of languages
  

Division of Neonatology Team

Pinchi Srinivasan, MD, MBA, FAAP
Director, Division of Neonatology

Paul Jean-Charles, MD
Attending, Neonatology

Christina D'Agrosa, DO
Attending, Neonatology

Pediatric Hospitalists Team
Gary Mak, MD
Twana Jackson, MD
Sabrina Dukach, MD
Manish Kumar, MD
Angela Webb, MD
Lesly Michel, MD

Additional Maternity Services

• Newborn Education and Resources
• Lactation Resource Center
• Neonatal Intensive Care Services
• Fetal and Pediatric Cardiology
• South Nassau Maternity Unit Tour
• In-Person Childbirth Preparation Class
• Online Childbirth Class
• Obstetrics Visitor Policy During COVID-19 (FAQ)