Variety Club Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

The NICU is the place for "special care for special little ones.” If your baby is born prematurely or with special needs, the physicians and staff of the NICU are fully equipped with the most advanced technology and training to give your baby the specialized care he/she needs. The NICU is located on Level 4 of the Women & Infants' Center–mere steps away from the Mercy Birthing Unit.

Our NICU offers Level III care, the highest level designated by the state. What does level III care mean to you and your baby? An advanced level of expertise, care and experience–Mercy cares for more fragile babies than any other Iowa hospital. You can stay together in the same hospital–just one or two floors apart. Our in-house neonatologists are available 24/7. A sense of confidence comes in our neonatal nursing staff: they handle babies with special needs every day.

Our unit includes 44 comfortable patient rooms and features:

• Centralized nursing stations, so your baby's nurse is always visible and available
  
• Sofa bed for parents to stay at bedside
  
• State-of-the-art beds for baby
  
• Refrigerators
• Wireless Internet
  
• Large windows with a view of downtown Des Moines

A team of professionals will be caring for your family the moment your baby arrives. Once your baby is settled in the NICU, the doctors and nurses will give you information and answer any questions you may have. Mothers will be reunited with their baby as soon as they are physically able to come into the NICU. You are encouraged to be near your baby’s bedside as much as possible.

Our entire NICU staff, from the nurses to the neonatologists, practice a developmentally supportive care program called Wee Care. This program is utilized to develop an individualized care plan to best support the total physical and emotional development of your special little one. The staff will continuously monitor the individual needs of the infant and practice care methods that reduce the level of stress on the baby.