Family-centered developmental care is a cornerstone of our philosophy of care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). Through this, we coach and support parents and family members of the infant’s family to take an active role in the decision making and day-to-day care of their baby. We encourage parents to be present with their babies as much as is reasonably possible, while taking into account their individual circumstances, other responsibilities, and new parents’ need for some time for rest and recovery. Our BWH Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine multidisciplinary team is deeply committed to transforming newborn care in ways that educate and empower families to play a significant role as key members of their baby’s health care team.
Our NICU Parent Advisory Council and our wonderful Family Support Specialist, all of whom are former NICU parents, provide insight, support, and guidance to parents and staff alike.
Examples of ways in which we embrace, educate, and engage families include:
Communication
- Formal multidisciplinary meetings, led by attending neonatologist, within a few days of admission and weekly (or as needed) thereafter
- Daily bedside updates by medical and nursing staff
- Family presence (whenever able) and inclusion in daily rounds
Services
- NICU Family Support Specialist consultation
- Developmental Therapy services (PT, OT, SLP/feeding therapy, music therapy in the Growth and Development Unit), parent education and support
- Lactation consultation
- Donor breast milk program (with parental consent)
- Social Work consultation
- Multidisciplinary discharge planning and Care Coordination
- NICU Parent Mental Health Program
Activities and Education
- Kangaroo Care — skin-to-skin
- Brigham Baby Academy — books donated to our NICU are provided as gifts to families for the earliest possible start of parents’ reading with their babies
- Safety & CPR
- Parents' Night Out
- Infant Massage
- Father's Group
