The Special Baby Care Unit/Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (SCBU/NICU) unit delivers quality care for premature babies and term neonates from Labour and Delivery. Neonates are admitted to the SCBU/NICU with varying conditions and gestational ages starting at 35 weeks.

Some babies need special care in hospital, sometimes on the ordinary postnatal ward and sometimes in a SCBU or NICU. The difference between NICU and SCBU lies in the level of care needed by each baby. Care given in SCBU is less intensive than that given in a NICU. Sometimes babies who are very ill or small start in NICU and progress to SCBU as their condition improves. The SCBU is less warm than the NICU and some units have an even cooler room to acclimatize babies to cooler temperatures before going home. Babies who may need special care include:

babies who are born early.
Babies born earlier than 34 weeks may need extra help breathing, feeding and keeping warm; the earlier they are born the more help they are likely to need babies who are very small or who have life-threatening conditions, usually affecting their breathing, heart and circulation babies born to diabetic mothers
babies where the delivery has been very difficult may need to be kept under close observation for a time
babies with very marked jaundice
babies awaiting or recovering from complex surgery