More than 4,500 babies are born in the Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties each year. About 10% of these newborns will need critical care in their first moments of life for various reasons, including premature birth, low birth weight, birth defects or problems with breathing, infection, or birth asphyxia.

The enormous responsibility to provide care to give hundreds of babies a chance at a healthy life rests largely on the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mary Washington Hospital. This highly specialized service and world-class care for our community's most fragile patients allows families to be close to home near extended family and support systems that play a critical role in a NICU patient's growth and healing.

The 17-bed NICU admits approximately 350 babies per year and provides care for newborn infants as small as one pound. It is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by board-certified Children's National Hospital Neonatologists as well as a highly specialized team that includes neonatal nurse practitioners, registered nurses, respiratory therapists, physical and occupational therapists, case managers, dieticians, and lactation consultants.

In addition, the NICU has a dedicated Neonatal Transport Team that provides ground ambulance transport for infants less than or equal to 28 days old. Transports completed by the team allow for babies born at area hospitals without a Level III NICU a local option when a higher level of care is needed.

With your support, we can ensure that the Mary Washington Hospital NICU continues to be a leader in providing the highest quality of care to our patients and their families, like the Pogue family.

In advance, thank you for your consideration of support for our tiniest patients and their families! Please know your donation is tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.