The NICU (Neonatal ICU)

We hope that your baby will never have to visit our amazing NICU, but just in case...

Huntington Hospital has one of the biggest, busiest and best NICU’s in Southern California. There is a NICU physician in the hospital 24-hours-a-day. During delivery, there may be circumstances where we need to have the neonatal team at the birth. Some reasons for this are meconium-stained amniotic fluid, fetal distress or premature birth, to name a few.

When the “team” is present, right after delivery the baby is placed in the warming bed and they begin their evaluation. Afterwards, they may decide that the baby needs to be admitted directly to the NICU, but usually they determine that the baby is fine and can proceed to the normal newborn nursery.

If your baby is admitted to the NICU, be sure to take advantage of emotional support offered by The Parent Connection. Composed of a group of parents who have had babies hospitalized in the NICU, they have regular meetings and provide one-on-one support. For more information, call 626-398-8509.