UC Irvine Douglas Hospital houses one of Orange County’s highest-level neonatal intensive care (NICU) units for critically ill newborns with the most challenging health complications. It is a Level III NICU, meaning the unit meets the most rigorous standards set by the state of California.

The advanced obstetric and neonatal care provided by UC Irvine Healthcare’s Maternal-Fetal Program can mitigate many of the complications associated with high-risk pregnancies. This innovative, multidisciplinary program is Orange County’s only service that combines specialists in high-risk obstetrics with experts in newborn care and has produced some of the nation’s best outcomes for complicated pregnancies.

The NICU staff consists of highly skilled, compassionate neonatologists (specialists in critically ill newborns), nurses and other experts. The 38-bed NICU is state-of-the-art facility featuring advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies, including induced brain hypothermia for babies born with brain injury from asphyxia and inhaled nitric oxide for treatment of respiratory failure.