Small Baby Program

Bringing Strength and Hope to Tiny Lives

What can be more helpless than a baby born weeks shy of full term?

Perhaps only the feelings of that baby’s parents.

But there’s a place that turns helplessness into hope. The odds of survival for premature babies have been dramatically improved through a program dedicated to giving these babies a real fighting chance in their first days.

And the opportunity to thrive once they get to go home.

What is the Small Baby Program?

The survival rate for premature babies is improving dramatically. Just a few short years ago, it was only ten percent for babies born as early as 23 weeks into the pregnancy. Today, the survival rate at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is 78 percent. And climbing.

The difference is the Small Baby Program. It’s a dedicated approach to small baby care. It embraces the needs of both the premature baby and the family that loves it.

What conditions are treated by the Small Baby Program?

• ·         Newborn intensive care (NICU).
• ·         Development.
• ·         Nutrition.
• ·         Cardiovascular functioning.
• ·         Infection.
• ·         Any other potential health concerns.

As a result of the dedicated, multidisciplinary care they receive, premature babies at Nationwide Children’s are doing more than surviving. They’re catching up to their peers. They’re thriving.

What makes the Small Baby Program different?

The Small Baby Program at Nationwide Children’s is dedicated to the care of babies born at less than 27 weeks. It follows standard protocols for care – bedside tested and family centered.

These protocols for neonatal care are called Small Baby Guidelines (SBG). They have been developed by the Nationwide Children’s interdisciplinary team of pediatric physicians and nurses devoted to the care of premature babies.

Babies treated according to the SBGs require shorter hospital stays. They are less likely to experience intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Our Small Baby Program and its neonatology experts have attracted interest from neonatal centers from across the country.

… And when the baby is ready to leave the hospital?

It’s a great day for everyone. But the Small Baby Program doesn’t stop there.

The babies continue to receive care from the Small Baby Program. Families return home with specific, continuing treatment plans for their babies.