NICU Family and Development Support

NICU Family Support

Having your child spend any time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can weigh heavy on your heart and mind. We work with families who are experiencing difficulties related to adjustment problems, anxiety, and depression connected with the birth of their preterm infant or chronic psychiatric conditions that affect the relationship with their infant.

Infant Developmental Support

The Occupational Therapy Service provides assessment, consultation, and intervention for infants with feeding and developmental concerns, for inpatients in the NICU and Mother-Baby Unit, as well as for outpatients, birth to three months old.

The NNNS (pronounced “ens”) is the NeoNatal Neurobehavioral Scale. The NNNS Team provides an assessment of infants to examine neurobehavioral organization (the relationship between the brain and behavior), reflexes, motor development, alertness and interaction, and reactions of your infant to the environment. This assessment is part of the standard of care for preterm infants born less than 34 weeks gestational age at birth and for infants exposed to maternal drugs during pregnancy.

Contact Information:

Center for Children and Families
50 Holden Street
Providence, RI 02908
P: (401) 274-1122, ext. 48935

Hours
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday

No Show Policy
We have a policy for missed appointments at all Women and Infants Hospital's physician practices. If you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment, please give us at least 24 hours notice.

Our Services

NeoNatal Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS-II) Newborn Assessment

The NNNS Program provides an assessment to examine the neurobehavioral organization, neurological, motor development, active and passive tone, and signs of stress and withdrawal of the at-risk and drug-exposed infant.

The NeoNatal Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS-II) is standard of care for all babies in NICU born less than 34 weeks gestational age at birth and for all babies suffering neonatal abstinence syndrome (withdrawal from maternal substances). NNNS is also available on a consult basis for any babies (NICU or well-baby nursery) with neurobehavioral concerns.

When should an infant be referred? 

All infants born at Women & Infants Hospital who have been exposed to illicit drugs, psychotropic medication, or who have neurobehavioral concerns such as excessive irritability or poor sleep should be referred for NNNS consult.  

What should the doctor's order state? 

The order in Cerner is "NNNS Examination Neurobehavioral"  This order will alert the NNNS team by a message in the Message Center in Cerner and also by email.

Contacting the NNNS Team 

You can page the NNNS team at (401) 582-0168 or call the Brown Center for Children and Families at (401) 274-1122, ext. 48935 and the NNNS Team member will be paged. Please give the following information:  

  • Infant name
  • Floor/room number
  • Date of birth and anticipated discharge date
  • Reason for referral

For more information, call (401) 274-1122, ext. 48935.

For additional NNNS information at our center, please send an email to: NNNSTrainingProgram@CareNE.org

NICU Family Psychosocial Service

The NICU Family Psychosocial Service provides family-based mental health services for parents of infants who must spend time in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).

Referrals are made by the social workers in the NICU. Mental health services are available during the nursery stay to provide psychiatric, developmental, and behavioral assessment, consultation, and intervention for parents.  

An additional focus of the program is on facilitating parent-infant relationships and parental coping and adjustment. The program supports families and prepares them to take home infants who have spent time in the nursery by helping address their concerns. The service also provides additional support to parents with psychiatric or substance use conditions that might interfere with the caretaking of their infant. 

Our program specializes in:  
  • Outpatient mental health services are provided to caregivers while their infant is in the NICU.
  • Services that address parental adjustment issues, depression, and anxiety related to the stress of having an infant born prematurely or with medical complications.
  • Consultation and support to parents with psychiatric conditions that interfere with caretaking, nurturing, or interactions with their infant.
Who do we serve?

Parents with infants in the NICU who are referred by NICU social work staff for difficulties related to adjustment problems, anxiety, and depression connected with the birth of their preterm infant or chronic psychiatric conditions that affect the relationship with their infant. For more information, call (401) 274-1122, ext. 48935.

Occupational Therapy Consult Service

The Occupational Therapy (OT) Service provides assessment, consultation, and intervention for infants with feeding and developmental concerns, for inpatients in the NICU, Mother-Baby Unit, and newborn nurseries as well as for outpatients, birth to 3 months old. Low birth weight infants, infants with congenital conditions affecting feeding or development, infants with fractured clavicle or brachial plexus injury, and infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome may benefit from OT assessment and developmental or feeding support. In all cases, therapists collaborate with nursery staff and work closely with parents and caregivers to optimize the care environment and tailor interventions to individual needs.

Our program includes: 
  • In-hospital consultation and assessment of infant feeding and development.
  • In-hospital creation, with parents and other caregivers, of an individualized developmental care plan for the infant based on the OT assessment.
  • In-hospital instruction/teaching for parents and staff regarding developmental strengths and areas of need.
  • Outpatient OT Consultation Services also are available to address short-term problems related to feeding issues, muscle tone difficulties, coordination issues.
  • Outpatient OT Consultation Services at the Women & Infants' Neonatal Follow-Up Program for premature infants, following their discharge from the hospital.
  • Preterm infants in the Follow-Up Program at Women & Infants Hospital with motor or feeding problems.
Make a Referral:
  • Infant name
  • Floor/room number
  • Date of birth and anticipated discharge date
  • Reason for referral (drug exposure, motor or other developmental concerns, irritability)
For more information, call (401) 274-1122, ext. 48935.