We’ve seen it again, and again. The overwhelming, indescribable love when parents hold their babies for the first time. And the shattering fear in their eyes when something goes wrong.

Every year, St. Michael’s Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) cares for some of the most fragile babies and their moms. Many of the babies are born right here at our hospital. Some are transferred to us from health-care centres across Ontario.

That’s because we are home to globally renowned experts in highly specialized fields of pregnancy. The moms in our care have a range of medical conditions. They might be critically injured from an accident. They might suffer from hypertension, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, bleeding disorders, multiple sclerosis, cancer, kidney disease or cardiovascular challenges. Some of our patients have HIV or are experiencing substance abuse withdrawal. Many moms come in for a normal delivery, but then the unexpected happens.

While our care is extraordinary, we need more space and better facilities to match it. That’s why we are building a state-of-the-art NICU, a maternity space with obstetrics and gynecology and a recovery unit – all on a single floor.

The design is based on the world’s gold standard known as Family Integrated Care (FiCare). In the FiCare model, families stick close to vulnerable newborns. That includes private double rooms in which parents and baby can sleep and relax. It means parents working alongside nurses, fully involved in their baby’s care, from changing diapers to participating in daily rounds. It means shared spaces throughout the floor – each for different stages in a baby’s journey to wellness.

In the majority of other hospitals, moms and babies who need care go to separate floors. But the science tells us that fragile babies who stay close to mom in their first days and weeks show better language and cognitive development compared to those who remain in traditional open-concept NICUs. It tells us that FiCare babies have lower infection rates, breastfeed more easily, gain weight faster and go home sooner.

As Dr. Doug Campbell, director of St. Michael’s NICU, says, “We’re not just creating a nice space. We are fundamentally changing the way babies are cared for. This is about providing the right care, in the right space, at the right time.”

Join us.

WHAT WE’RE FUNDRAISING FOR

NICU Resuscitation Area (Golden Hour Room)

In neonatal resuscitation, the Golden Hour is the critical period following birth, when immediate treatment can save lives. Critically ill babies need the right expertise and equipment in a space that optimizes how care is delivered.

Fitted with the latest technologies, our much larger resuscitation area will have state-of-the-art audio and video monitoring, allowing us to constantly assess how we can improve our teamwork and make our systems safer.

NICU Incubators

When neonatal babies are first born, they are small and fragile. They need quiet, enclosed and temperature-controlled incubators. As they become stronger, they can be transferred to open bassinettes where their bodies learn to adjust to ambient temperatures. Both types of cribs are designed to accommodate the latest technology to help babies on their journey home.

Obstetrics Triage and Assessment Unit

We are transforming our cramped triage and assessment room into a larger area that offers more privacy and better infection control. This expanded space will allow our health experts to more efficiently assess the needs of moms. Our twice-as-large triage area will feature private birthing rooms, where labouring mothers can be cared for with the dignity they deserve.

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