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Neonatology

Children’s National delivers stellar care to newborns facing the toughest starts.

U.S. News & World Report ranked us #1 in the nation for newborn care. Our neonatology program offers the highest level of complex care through our Level IV designated neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We treat more than 800 premature and ill infants each year. Our lifesaving surgery for babies with heart defects is among the world’s best and we focus on protecting the developing brain. Help us save and nurture more babies.

Contact Shelley Cooke at [email protected] to learn more.

Payton's Story

Payton was born prematurely with intestinal, heart and lung issues. She was rushed to our hospital. Surgeries and treatments, along with care and compassion from providers like Tara Floyd, director of neonatal intensive care nursing made a difference. “Without Children’s National, I would not have the energetic, feisty, resilient and strong girl that Payton is today,” her mom says.

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Help Babies Grow Up Stronger

Newborn Surgery

Children’s National offers a wide range of minimally invasive surgery for newborns, including procedures unavailable elsewhere in our region. Instruments designed for the tiniest patients help our surgeons make fewer incisions, leading to superior outcomes. Babies experience less pain and scarring and shorter hospital stays.

Neonatal Neurology and Neurocritical Care Programs

This is the only program of its kind in our region and one of a dozen in the nation. A brain-protecting treatment procedure, called whole-body cooling, is crucial for minimizing trauma to newborns born with brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation or limited blood flow.

Neonatal Metabolic/Genetic Program

This complex care for infants born with a genetic anomaly or metabolic disorder is the largest program of its kind in North America. As patients grow, they can continue to receive care through our renowned Rare Disease Institute.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program

Children’s National is a national leader in ECMO, a form of lifesaving heart and lung bypass. In 1984, we were the first U.S. pediatric hospital to offer this technology. It provides patients with respiratory or cardiac failure minute-to-minute bedside support. Our program, the nation’s largest, is recognized as an ECMO Center of Excellence.

Keeping Families Together Virtually

Families with newborns in our NICU can stay connected, even when they can’t be by their baby’s side. Our NicView™ camera system, made possible by philanthropy, enables parents to see and bond with their infants in real time. They can watch every nap, breath and diaper change through a secure online web portal.

“Tara has been there from the beginning, supporting us in amazing ways from checking on me when I felt like I was in a tornado to helping get us through surgeries to save my baby’s life.”
- Tamica, grateful NICU parent, on the care and compassion from Tara Floyd, director of neonatal intensive care nursing