Level 6: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

The NICU in our new hospital replaces NICU Bay 5, which is currently located on 7 Roy Carver Pavilion (RCP).  To ensure that we can offer the best care to the sickest babies, 49 NICU bedswill remain in University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, just steps away from Labor and Delivery. 

The NICU on Level 6 has 28 spacious private rooms to enhance healing and rest. At the west end, four larger rooms accommodate twins, for a total of 32 beds. For convenience, each NICU room has a family bathroom. Walk-in showers with fold-down seats are designed for the comfort of postpartum moms. A shelf in each bathroom holds a diaper scale. Another one holds personal care items. In the rooms for twins, bathrooms are located at the rear. In single rooms, bathrooms are inside the entrances.

Patient rooms are same-handed in design, meaning that the layout is identical in every room. No matter which room staff enters, they will know where to find equipment, sinks, supplies, and computers. Research suggests that same-handed design can help employees reduce errors and improve safety. In addition, beds never share a common wall, thereby reducing noise transfer between rooms. With less noise, patients can rest better. Offstage (staff) areas in the center of Level 6 are designed to make rooms and hallways quieter, too.

As with all patient rooms in our hospital, each one is divided into three areas. The care team zone includes a sink and access to supplies. The patient zone features the patient’s isolette. The family zone includes a sleeping area to support two adults. A nearby recliner lays flat for sleeping and a glider feature for soothing babies. The chair is designed to facilitate breastfeeding. Each family zone includes a TV for family use and lights that can be controlled separately from other lights in the room. The family TV provides access to Oneview, our interactive education and entertainment system for patients and families. All rooms include a locking storage cabinet and a refrigerator, both for family use.

The family zone is designed to meet the special needs of families with babies. Each room has a separate refrigerator for storing breastmilk. This refrigerator is convenient for families and ensures quick access to milk when needed. For infection control, every room has a sink dedicated to washing breast pumping supplies. There is a place for drying supplies, such as breast pump accessories. The footwall included a large surface for displaying photos and scrapbook pages documenting each baby’s journey. When not covered with photos, the wall displays a colorful scene of the Iowa landscape.

We recognize that families of NICU patients have special needs. They often stay in the hospital for a long time and may bring young siblings with them. To make families’ stays more comfortable, Level 6 includes many special amenities.

Children of all ages are able to enjoy the Family Activity Room. Our child life team pland activities there for siblings during peak feeding times. This allows moms to feed their babies with fewer interruptions. Siblings have an opportunity to discuss their feelings about the stress of having a baby brother or sister in the NICU.

Level 6 has a family laundry room, two nourishment rooms, a conference room, and a consultation room. In addition, there are three respite rooms where families can relax and refresh, yet stay close to their babies. A family lounge and vending machines are located near the public elevators.

Families of NICU babies will want to to check out our expanded Safety Store. Located in the Gerdin Family Lobby, it offers discounts on sleep sacks used for putting babies safely to sleep on their backs. It  carries car seats, in-home safety items, and educational resources for families. At designated times, the Safety Store’s car seat technicians help new parents properly install safety seats in their vehicles.

Offstage, Level 6 includes staff lockers, a staff lounge, and a staff lactation room.

Getting there: Take the public elevators to Level 6; look for the blue bird icon. To reach inpatient rooms, call the unit clerk from a phone in the elevator area. Once admitted to the unit, visitors should wash their hands as directed. 

Employees providing patient care in the NICU may get back and forth between the children’s hospital and UI Hospitals & Clinics via the Level 6 connector.