Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
For doctors and midwives, please call:
NICU
Related services
Neonatal Follow-up Clinic: 514-412-4302
Office administrative support
514-412-4356
Prenatal Neonatal Consult support
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Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Welcome to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Montreal Children’s Hospital, where newborns who are too small or have serious conditions receive the highest standard of care.
Services
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) provides medical and surgical care to babies who are born early, have health problems or a difficult birth. It admits 900 neonates per year and is both a perinatal unit and a referral center for the entire province of Quebec. The MCH NICU is also a reference center for neonates with a variety of conditions at birth. The MCH’s NICU is equipped with the most recent technologies for invasive ventilatory procedures as well as non-invasive ventilation therapies and equipment for therapeutic hypothermia, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
The Maternal-Fetal Medicine physicians at the Royal Victoria Hospital, which is located next door to the MCH, follow high-risk pregnancies requiring immediate attention at birth by neonatologists and other pediatric medical or surgical specialists.
Your stay
Getting to the NICU
You can buy 7 day and 30 day passes at the Parking Desk on the ground floor (RC.1000) in the Larry and Cookie Rossy Promenade (walkway between the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital). Payment by Visa, Mastercard or Interac.
Visiting
Please note that the visitor policy may change at any time based on public health or infection control recommendations.
- Parents and legal guardians are welcome to stay with their baby at all times.
- Family members and friends are welcome between 1pm and 9pm. It is your responsibility to meet them at the door and show how the unit functions.
- Siblings can visit. Please keep your child close to you. They can also have access to the JFK Park.
- A maximum of 3 people (including the parents) are permitted to be at the bedside at the same time.
- 2 family members are permitted at the bedside without parental presence if you consent to it. Their names need to be given at the reception desk. The designated family members cannot welcome other visitors at the bedside and should stay the same throughout the hospitalization. All information concerning your baby is confidential and will only be given to you. Babies are very vulnerable to infection, make sure you and your family members do not have a rash and are free of respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms for at least 2 days before their visit.
When you arrive
- Press the button outside the NICU door (B6S). A staff member will open the door.
- Hang up your coat and boots in the waiting room. Lockers are available. Please bring your own lock. In the winter, please bring a pair of indoor shoes to wear in the NICU.
- Remove all jewelry from your arms and hands, including your watch.
- Wash your hands with soap and water up to your elbows.
- Clean your cellphone with a disinfectant wipe.
- Introduce yourself to the unit coordinator at the front desk. At your first visit, the unit coordinator will verify all your baby’s information.
- Make sure to wash your hands each time you enter and each time you exit your baby’s room.
Staying overnight
There are three sleeping rooms with single beds available for parents and authorized visitors with one shower. Please bring your towels and toiletries from home. The nurse in charge makes arrangements for the sleeping rooms daily. In some patients’ room we can also accommodate you with a pull-out bed. Please speak to your child’s nurse if you are interested.
There are two family lounges complete with a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, television and bathroom.
All food must be stored and eaten in the family lounge. No food is allowed in your baby’s room. Drinks are allowed in your baby’s room in a spill-proof cup.
Updates about your child
You are welcome to participate in the daily medical rounds with the NICU team to hear about the plan for your child for the day and ask questions. Rounds occur every day between 9:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. Alternatively, a team member can update you by phone or at a later time in person.
Virtual connection
You have the option of connecting with your baby virtually if you can’t come in person. Ask your nurse to set you up on a video call via WhatsApp or to provide you with a voice recorder so you can talk, read or sing to your baby.
Ten NICU safety tips
- Stay home if you are sick (example: fever, cough, runny nose). Talk to your nurse about video chatting with your baby using NeoConnect if you cannot visit.
- Remove all jewelry below your elbow and clean your cellphone with a disinfectant wipe. This helps to prevent infection.
- Wash your hands regularly. Don’t be afraid to remind others to do the same!
- Do not leave large items near your baby’s bed. We need to have easy access to your baby in case of emergency. Every room has options for storage of small items. For larger items (example: bouncy chair), speak to your nurse before bringing it to the NICU.
- Raise the bed rails, and close and latch the incubator doors and/or portholes when you step away from your baby. The brakes on your baby’s bed should also always be on.
- Ask your nurse for a Skin-to-skin wrap if you think you might fall asleep while holding your baby. This prevents falls.
- Do not leave any valuable items in your baby’s room. You can bring a lock to use one of the lockers at the front of the NICU if needed.
- Your baby’s identification bracelet must remain on them at all times. Let your nurse know if the bracelet is too tight or missing.
- Do not bring any devices that heat or cook (example: kettle). You will find appliances in the Family Rooms. Laptops, cellphones, and chargers are allowed in your baby’s room.
- Do not bring flowers or balloons to the NICU. Use these items at home to celebrate your baby’s discharge!
A look inside the NICU
Dr. Gabriel Altit takes you on a virtual tour of the MCH NICU, which will help you familiarize yourself with the comfort and expertise you can expect in the NICU.
Team
Department Head
Associate Directors
- Dr. Marc Beltempo, Associate Director – Research
- Dr. François Olivier, Associate Director – Clinical Operations
- Dr. Michelle Ryan, Associate Director – Education
Staff members
- Dr. Gabriel Altit
- Dr. Jessica Duby
- Dr. Emilie Fillion-Ouellet
- Dr. Jarred Garfinkle
- Dr. Elizabeth Hailu
- Dr. Katryn Paquette
- Dr. Bayane Sabsabi
- Dr. Guilherme Sant’ Anna
- Dr. Wissam Shalish
- Dr. Sarah Spénard
- Dr. Pia Wintermark
Lactation Consultants
- Amanda Camacho, Nurse
- Karine Huppé, Nurse
- Nicole-Rose Seoane, Nurse
Neonatal Nurse Practitioners
- Martine Chagnon
- Martine Claveau
- Kathryn Jones
- Olga Kazantseva
- Philippe Lamer
- Andrea Martel-Bucci
- Marie-Eve Moreau
- Tiffany Mathieu
- Margarida R Da Silva
- Emilie St-Germain
- Laila Wazneh
- Marco Zeid
Nursing Management Team
- Jessica Girard-Landry, Nurse Manager
- Marie-Claude Proulx, Sector Manager, Support Services
- Natasha Doulis, Assistant Nurse Manager
- Vanessa Kanaan, Assistant Nurse Manager
- Bao Tran Dang, Assistant Nurse Manager
- Cassandre Marthone, Assistant Nurse Manager
- Stephanie Mardakis, Nursing Professional Development Educator
- Elissa Remmer, Nursing Professional Development Educator
- Patricia Grier, Liaison nurse
Caring for your baby
Resources
Brochures
- Welcome to the NICU
- NICU – Parent Handbook
- Cyanotic Congenital Heart (CCHD)
- Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
- Gastroschisis
- Omphalocele
- Skin care
- NICU Research Studies
Preparing to leave the NICU
Leaving the NICU can be both an exciting and scary time. Your baby is “graduating”, but it is also a big transition. We want you to have time to prepare for this big step. It is never too early to ask your baby’s NICU team.