Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Our team of experts provide high quality, expert care for ill and premature babies at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
Some babies need special care in hospital if they are born early or if they:
- have a low birthweight
- have an infection
- have jaundice
- have had a difficult birth
- need complex surgery
Our neonatal unit in the Women’s Centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital is fully equipped to care for your baby. We have a range of facilities including intensive care, also known as the special care baby unit or newborn intensive care unit (NICU).
Find out more about special care for ill and premature babies.
Visiting
Parents and siblings can visit the neonatal unit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All other visitors can visit between 2pm and 7pm every day:
- visitors should be kept to a maximum of 2 at a time
- switch your phone to silent and only use it in the main clinical areas
- always wash your hands when you enter or leave the ward or your baby’s room
- remove your coat or outdoor clothing when you arrive, to prevent the spread of infection
Brothers and sisters of your baby can visit the unit, but they should be supervised at all times. No other children are allowed on the unit.
Feeding your preterm baby on NICU
Feeding is so much more than just provision of nutrients, it will help build relationship with your baby and help you learn their communication cues.
We hope this information will help you gain more awareness of the feeding practices on the unit
Food and drink
There are a variety of shops and restaurants at Gloucestershire Royal. Find out more about food and drink available in our hospitals.
Support for families
We provide support and care for the families of babies on our unit. Staff can also provide details of our active support groups, HOPE and SHED: Support and help for every dad.