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Rady Children's Specialists

Multidisciplinary Developmental Care Team

Infants who are born prematurely or have prolonged NICU stays for other indications are at risk for developmental impairments. Our developmental care team takes a multidisciplinary approach to support our patients in this critical period of development in an effort to maximize outcomes.

Our focus on development starts on admission to the NICU and continues through discharge. Early in the hospital stay, the focus is on proper nutrition, positioning devices, meeting your baby’s comfort needs and decreasing excessive stimulation. This is also when medically stable kangaroo care, or skin-to-skin contact between parent and child, will begin.

If feeding difficulties occur, our Feeding Team will work with you and your child on feeding strategies. Throughout the hospital stay, our multidisciplinary team works together to optimize the care delivered to every newborn in the unit.

Team

Conditions Treated

Follow-up Care

Follow-up care after discharge continues the focus on developmental care. Many babies will qualify for monitoring in the NICU Neurodevelopmental Clinic. Based on the individual needs of the infant follow up may be arranged with Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and the Dysphagia team.