NICU in Sharjah

What is neonatal intensive care?

Neonatal intensive care is hospital care for newborn babies who need more support than a normal postnatal ward can give. It takes place in a neonatal intensive care unit, usually called the NICU, where neonatologists, paediatricians and specialist nurses help a baby breathe, stay warm, feed and grow until the baby can do these things alone.

Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah has a Level III NICU on site. Level III is the level of neonatal unit equipped to care for very premature babies and newborns who need sustained breathing support, rather than only short-term observation. Because the unit sits within the same hospital as the Maternity department, a baby who needs intensive care after birth stays in the building where the mother is recovering.

The unit is organised in three areas, and a baby moves between them as needs change:

| Area | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| Critical care | Babies who need the closest watch, such as ventilation or intensive monitoring |
| Intermediate care | Babies who are stable but still need oxygen, warmth, tube feeding or treatment |
| Post-NICU care | Babies preparing for home, learning to feed and keep warm with parents closely involved |

Who needs it

Most babies go straight to their mother after birth. A newborn is admitted to the NICU when extra help is needed, for example:

• Premature birth; the unit accepts preterm babies across all ranges of prematurity
• A low birth weight, or a baby who is small for the stage of pregnancy
• Breathing difficulty that continues after the first minutes of life
• Jaundice that needs treatment with phototherapy
• Low blood sugar, or a baby whose mother had diabetes in pregnancy
• Signs of infection, or a baby who is feeding poorly and losing too much weight
• A difficult birth where the baby needed help to start breathing

Many of these situations are expected before birth. If you are under care for a high-risk pregnancy or preterm labour, your obstetrician can arrange for the neonatal team to meet you, explain what may happen, and be present at the delivery.

What happens

When a baby is admitted, the team assesses breathing, heart rate, temperature, blood sugar and colour, then chooses the support that suits your baby. The main tools of the unit are:

• Incubators and radiant warmers, which keep a small baby at a steady temperature and let the team see and reach the baby easily.
• Ventilators and oxygen therapy, from a little extra oxygen through fine tubes in the nose to full breathing support, adjusted as the lungs mature.
• Continuous vital-signs monitoring of heart rate, breathing and oxygen level, with alarms that alert the nurses to any change.
• Phototherapy, a special blue light that breaks down the yellow pigment that causes newborn jaundice.
• Feeding support, including tube feeding and intravenous fluids until your baby can feed by mouth.

Neonatologists lead the medical plan, supported by paediatricians from the Pediatrics & Neonatology department and nurses trained in newborn care. The team reviews your baby regularly and explains each step to you. Parents are encouraged to touch, hold and help care for their baby as soon as it is safe, including skin-to-skin contact, which helps with warmth and bonding.

Preparing for it

If a NICU stay is likely, ask for a visit or a talk with the neonatal team before your delivery. It helps to have your antenatal records, scan reports and blood group together, and to know your insurance details and whether your plan needs pre-approval for a newborn admission.

Practical plans make the stay easier. Arrange help with older children and meals at home, especially if relatives live abroad. Ask the breastfeeding support team early about expressing milk, since breast milk is valuable for a premature baby and even small amounts of colostrum count. A soft, clean cardigan that opens at the front makes skin-to-skin contact easier. During Ramadan, talk to your doctor about fasting while you are expressing milk and recovering from the birth.

Afterwards

As your baby grows stronger, care steps down from critical care to intermediate care and then to post-NICU care, where you take on more feeds, nappy changes and bathing with nurses nearby. Before discharge the team checks feeding, weight gain and temperature control, arranges newborn screening if it has yet to be done, and gives you a written summary and follow-up plan. Routine newborn care continues with the paediatric team at Dar Al Kamal Hospital. In the Sharjah summer, keep the car and home cool rather than wrapping your baby in extra layers.

After discharge, call emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department straight away if your baby has blue or grey lips, pauses in breathing, grunting or very fast breathing, is floppy or hard to wake, or has a seizure; contact the hospital the same day if feeding becomes difficult, wet nappies drop, or jaundice deepens.

Cost and insurance

The cost of a NICU stay depends on how long your baby stays and the level of support needed. Most UAE insurance plans cover neonatal intensive care, and many require pre-approval and ask for a newborn to be added to a parent's policy within a set period after birth. Some maternity packages include part of the newborn's care. The team at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you check your cover on 06 599 7777.