Level IIIB, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
24/7 care for our tiniest patients
Newborn babies who need intensive medical attention are often admitted into a special area of the hospital called the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Located in the same building as our Labor & Delivery unit, AVMC’s Level IIIB NICU is covered by board certified Neonatologists, neonatal nurses, and respiratory therapists who provide expert in house medical care 24-hours per day, 7-days per week.
The Level IIIB NICU combines advanced technology and highly trained healthcare professionals to provide specialized care for our tiniest and most vulnerable patients.
We offer the area’s only Level IIIB Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatrics departments. For close to 40 years, Antelope Valley Medical Center’s NICU has created thousands of positive outcomes for babies that required immediate care after birth.
What is a Level IIIB NICU?
As a subspecialized NICU, we have round-the-clock personnel that have extensive expertise in neonatal care, and are equipped to provide life support for as long as needed. Level III NICUs provide higher level of care to newborn infants with differing degrees of complexity and risk.
Newborn infants with extreme prematurity (28 weeks' gestation or less) or extremely low birth weight (1000 g or less) or who have severe and/or complex illness are in the highest risk group and have the most specialized needs. These infants require a more advanced level III unit, with a broad range of pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists, highly skilled nursing and respiratory care staff, advanced respiratory support and physiologic monitoring equipment, laboratory and imaging facilities, nutrition and pharmacy support with pediatric expertise, social services, and pastoral care.
Breast Milk & Lactation Support
Breast milk is the best way that a mother can help a baby in NICU care. We have a team of certified lactation specialists who provide education about breastfeeding, support to lactating mothers and their babies, and tips for returning to work while breastfeeding.
As a designated Breast Milk Collection Center by the BreastfeedLA, a nonprofit breastfeeding advocacy organization, AVMC is one of four designated collection sites in Los Angeles County. This milk is provided to infants in need, in the event a mother cannot provide her own milk. As a milk collection center, AVMC has the capability to provide pasteurized Donor Breast Milk until the baby recovers or the mother can provide her own milk.
Visiting Policies
Please note that the NICU has different visiting guidelines from the rest of the hospital to protect our patients, which will be discussed upon admission to the unit.
Parents and guardians of infants in the NICU are encouraged to visit daily, to provide the necessary physical contact and/or sounds to aid the baby’s development.
NICU will allow 2 visitors (parents or parent and significant other) during the infant’s hospital stay. Parents/guardians will be allowed to visit at the same time. All visitors must wear a face covering during the visit.
The patient’s healthy siblings may visit during Family Bonding Time from 12:00 p.m. ‑ 6:30 p.m. daily* provided their immunizations are up to date and they have no signs of illness.
*During flu season, children under the age of 16 are not allowed to visit.
Please visit our Visitor Hours & Policies page for more details.
