Neonatology (Newborn Care)

Ranked Number Two in the Nation for Neonatal (Newborn) Care

Our commitment to providing our patients and families with excellent care is reflected by our Neonatology division’s #2 ranking from U.S. News & World Report. Our neonatology team is uniquely qualified to treat your infant with the most innovative therapies available.

Our NICU has medical team and surgical teams who can take care of babies who have a condition at birth requiring surgery. Other special needs your baby may have will be addressed by our comprehensive team of pediatric subspecialists. The team is complemented by specialized nurses, social workers, respiratory therapists and dietitians. And the NICU is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art equipment that can care for the most complex conditions.

Highlights of Our Program

• Level IV NICU. Children’s National has one of the only Level IV NICUs in the Washington, D.C., area, offering the highest level of care for premature and ill newborns. 
• High-risk prenatal care. The Zickler Family Prenatal Pediatrics Institute at Children's National specializes in high-risk pregnancies – diagnosing your baby in utero (in the womb) and providing a treatment plan for delivery and after birth.
• ECMO breathing therapy. In 1984, Children’s National became the first children’s hospital to offer extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which acts as an artificial set of heart and lungs for critically ill infants. Our program is now one of the largest in the country for infants and is designated as an ECMO Center of Excellence.
• Nutrition and feeding program. The experts in our Neonatal Nutrition Program work closely to evaluate your baby’s growth and nutrition during their hospital stay.
• Special monitoring for brain health. The Neonatal Neurology and Neurocritical Care Program offers patients access to neonatal neurologists who regularly monitor developmental progress and research brain injury prevention and management.
• Child development clinic. Our Child Development Clinic evaluates more than 1,500 children each year, ranging in age from birth to 4 years old. Our specialists will work with you to address developmental concerns.
• Specialized lung disease program. Our BPD Program focuses on infants who have chronic lung problems requiring long-term breathing support. This team is composed of specialists in neonatology, pediatric pulmonology, pediatric heart conditions caused by chronic lung disease (pulmonary hypertension). It is the only program of its kind in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.