Which Babies Need Care in the NICU?

About 10 to 15 percent of babies born in the United States each year are treated in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Many babies are admitted to NICUs. Here are some of the reasons:

  • Premature birth

  • Difficult delivery

  • Breathing problems

  • Infections

  • Birth defects

Birth defects can include problems with the heart, body chemistry (metabolism) or structural systems of the newborn.

September 2007

 


  
  © 2008 March of Dimes Foundation. All rights reserved. The March of Dimes is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Our mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.