UAE Entities
The birth of a baby is a wonderful and very complex process. Many physical and emotional changes occur for both mother and baby.
A baby must make many physical adjustments to life outside the mother’s body. Leaving the uterus means that a baby can no longer depend on the mother’s blood supply and placenta for important body functions.
Before birth, the baby depends on functions from the mother. These include breathing, eating, elimination of waste, and immune protection. When a baby leaves the womb, its body systems must change. For example:
Your baby’s body systems must work together in a new way. In some cases, a baby has trouble making the transition outside the womb. Preterm birth, a difficult birth, or birth defects can make these changes more challenging. However, a lot of special care is available to help newborn babies.
Newborn babies who need intensive medical care are often put in a special area of the hospital called the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The NICU has advanced technology and trained healthcare professionals to give special care for the tiniest patients.
Some newborn babies will require care in a NICU. Giving birth to a sick or premature baby can be unexpected for any parent. The NICU can be overwhelming. This information is to help you understand why a baby may need to be in the NICU. You will also find out about some of the procedures that may be needed for the care of your baby.
Most babies admitted to the NICU are preterm (born before 37 weeks of pregnancy), have low birth weight (less than 1.9 kg), or have a health condition that needs special care. Babies with health conditions such as breathing trouble, heart problems, infections, or birth defects are also cared for in the NICU. However, each baby must be assessed to see if he or she needs the NICU.
Some of the specially trained healthcare providers who may care for your baby include:
NICU team members work together with parents to create a plan of care for high-risk newborns.
We appreciate that this can be a very stressful time for you and your family. Your bedside nurse will guide you as to how you can best be involved in your baby’s care. Please ask your healthcare team about more ways you can be involved.
Hand washing and prevention of infections requires all staff, families, and visitors to pay special attention to patient care practices and to employ health standards.
We encourage mothers to breastfeed and Fakeeh hospital is the first facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is accredited and recognized as a baby-friendly hospital and successfully obtains a commitment certificate from the Ministry of Health.
For your baby’s safety, the NICU is a protected unit. Parents are recognized as being an important part of our team. NICU Security staff do proper identification of the parents before allowing them entry to the NICU.
Visiting Hours:
