SPECIAL CARE NURSERY SERVICES

Southern Maryland Hospital Center is home to the area's only Level 2 /Special Care Nursery.  We provide the infants that require additional care at birth, a team of highly trained professionals.  The team is lead by the Neonatologist, a physician specially trained in newborn care. 

Working closely with the nurses, a plan of care is developed that will prepare the infant for discharge in as short a time period as possible.  The team also includes pediatricians that are on staff and in the hospital 24 hours day. 

The nursery staff has been trained to support the breast-feeding needs of the special care infant.  Should the family require additional assistance with breast-feeding; Board Certified Lactation Consultants are a part of our care team.  Each infant’s individual needs are reflected in the plan of care.  Depending on those needs, team members may also include: respiratory therapy, cardiology, physical therapy, pharmacy, radiology and case management.  We work closely with Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.  With the use of telemedicine, a cardiologist at CNMC can view the cardiac testing done in our nursery in real time.  This allows the infant to have a complete cardiac exam without traveling to Washington, DC.  We encourage parents whose infant must stay after the mother is discharged, to come in for the infant’s feedings.

The ultimate goal is for every infant to go directly to the term nursery.  When this is not possible, our team of dedicated professionals stands ready to care for the most fragile members of our community.