Newborn Senses

St. Mary's Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center Level III NICU

St. Mary's Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center have an on-site level III NICU which is staffed with the specialists your baby may need if intensive care is required. St. Mary's Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center are the only level III NICUs in Palm Beach County. The NICU health care teams works to provide some of the best care for sick or at-risk newborns, while they foster bonding with your baby. If your newborn needs special care, our NICUs are located within our hospitals so that you’re never far away.

Level III NICUs are defined by having continuously available personnel (neonatologists, neonatal nurses, respiratory therapists) and equipment to provide life support for as long as needed. Additionally, level III NICU's:

Have the ability to provide care to newborn infants with differing degrees of complexity and risk
Has quick access to a full range of pediatric medical subspecialists, pediatric surgical subspecialists, pediatric anesthesiologists and pediatric ophthalmologists
Is able to provide sustained life support, sustained respiratory (breathing) support and advanced imaging, with interpretation on an urgent basis

Even when your baby is home from the hospital, we can continue to provide excellent care through our highly trained pediatrics department. St. Mary's and West Boca's health care professionals have experience in treating a wide range of illnesses and injuries affecting children.

NICView 2 Live Video Streaming Camera System

What is NicView™?

NicView™ is an innovative small camera system placed at designated bed spaces in the NICU and allows parents, family and friends to view their infant in real-time, 24/7, through a secure online portal. This service helps families develop that bond with their preemie or hospitalized infant even when they can’t be in the NICU with them. NicView™ can add peace of mind and provide reassurance when you can’t be at the bedside.

The camera delivers a secure image stream for parents and family members to view their baby remotely. Family members can securely access NicView™ from anywhere there is an internet connection via a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. The service is compatible with any internet capable device and most popular browsers.

West Boca is proud to be the only hospital in South Palm Beach county and North Broward with the NICView cameras.

Click here to learn more the NICView 2 Live Camera System

Good Samaritan Medical Center Level II NICU

Good Samaritan Medical Center has a Level II NICU which is staffed with the specialists your baby may need if intensive care is required. The entire NICU health care team works to provide the best family-centered care for newborns. If your newborn needs special care, our NICU is located within our Birthing Center.

Babies treated in the NICU are infants who require special care after birth. They’ve likely been born prematurely, experienced difficulties during their delivery or have signs of a problem very early on in their life.

Upon admittance, your baby will be cared for by our staff of dedicated and highly-trained nurses while our physicians will work delicately to diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. You will not be separated from your baby without first understanding an understanding of the plan for your baby. You’ll also be allowed to visit with your baby. While in the NICU, your baby will receive care tailored to their condition, including special feeding schedules, medications and tests.

To learn more about the Good Samaritan Level II NICU, talk with your doctor or call us at (561) 650-6386.

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Babies are born with all of the senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Some of the senses are not fully developed at birth. The newborn's senses are as follows:

Sight

Over the first few months, babies may have uncoordinated eye movements and may even appear cross-eyed. Stages of eye development:

Babies are born with the ability to focus only at close range — about 8 to 10 inches or the distance between a mother's face to the baby in her arms.
Babies are able to follow or track an object in the first few weeks of life.
Newborns can detect light and dark but cannot see all colors. This is why many baby books and infant toys have distinct black and white patterns.
Focus improves over the first 2 to 3 years of life to a normal 20/20 vision.

Hearing

During pregnancy, many mothers find that the baby may kick or jump in response to loud noises and quiet with soft, soothing music. Hearing is fully developed in newborns.

Babies with normal hearing should startle in response to loud sounds.
These babies will also pay quiet attention to the mother's voice, and briefly stop moving when sound at a conversational level is begun.
Newborns seem to prefer a higher-pitched voice (the mother's) to a low sounding voice (males).
They also have the ability to tune out loud noises after hearing them several times.
Newborns are screened for hearing while still in the hospital.

Smell

Studies have found that newborns have a strong sense of smell. Newborns prefer the smell of their own mother, especially to her breast milk.

Taste

Babies prefer sweet tastes over sour or bitter tastes. Babies also show a strong preference for breast milk and breastfeeding, especially if they are breastfed and then offered formula or a bottle.

Touch

Babies are comforted by touch. Here are a few ways to help your baby feel secure:

Place a hand on the baby's abdomen, or cuddle him or her close.
Swaddling (wrapping snugly in a blanket) is another technique used to help babies feel secure.
Some mothers find their babies are comforted when "worn" in a sling or carrier.
Holding a baby for feedings is also important.
Breastfeeding ensures that a baby spends several hours in mother's arms. Although bottle feeding of breast milk may also be done.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit