Neonatal Intensive Care

A Family-First Approach to Caring for the South Shore’s Most Vulnerable Patients

Mom and dad holding premature son

The Messina Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at South Shore Hospital is the first and only Level III NICU located in a community hospital in Massachusetts. The Level III Messina Family NICU and the Level II Andrade Family Special Care Nursery enable us to care for babies born at any time in pregnancy who have a wide range of medical conditions.

The unit is staffed by doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists with specific training in the care of ill, premature, and recovery newborns. Our NICU doctors are dually affiliated with both South Shore Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital

Our Approach
Parents might feel like passive observers while their infant is hospitalized. Not at South Shore Health.

Here, NICU parents are a key member of their baby’s care team. We offer the Family Integrated Care model, or FICare. South Shore Hospital’s NICU is the first in Massachusetts to implement this model of care.

Our caregivers teach you the skills you need to feel confident to care for your baby at home, including diaper changes, bathing, feeding, recognizing vital signs, giving oral medications, and preparing feedings.

We also invite you to participate in daily rounds with our multidisciplinary team when we make plans for the day and listen to your input. You can be as involved as you wish and we will help you to feel confident when your baby is ready to go home. 

We also provide a free weekly parent support group, where you’ll connect with current and former NICU parents to get support and advice from families who know what you’re going through.

When you can’t be at the hospital, you can use the AngelEye Camera System — an internet-based, secure video solution that allows you to interact with your hospitalized newborn 24 hours a day from your computer, laptop, tablet, or smart phone.

Meet Our Neonatologists and Neonatal Nurse Practitioners

missing

Bonnie H Arzuaga, MD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
missing

Kristin M Chatelain, CNP

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Amy Ditzel

Amy B Ditzel, CNP

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Marybeth Goslin of South Shore Health

Marybeth D Goslin, CNP, MS

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Gretchen Hamn, Certified Nurse Practitioner, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

Gretchen R Hamn, CNP

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Zuzanna Kubicka, MD

Zuzanna J Kubicka, MD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Molly Lacy, MD, Pediatric/Neonatology, South Shore Hospital

Molly Lacy, MD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
missing

Brianna Medeiros, CNP, BA

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Kamaris Merritt

Kamaris M Merritt, MD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
missing

Amy O'Connell, MD, PHD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Dr. Diana Perry

Diana V Perry, MD, MPH

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Dr. Alexander Procaskey

Alexander D Procaskey, MD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Tamara L. Rousseau, MD

Tamara L Rousseau, MD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Dr. Jessica Slusarski, Pediatrics and Neonatology

Jessica D Slusarski, MD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
A headshot of Theresa Welgs, MD of South Shore Health

Theresa Welgs, MD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
missing

Eyad A Zahr, MD

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

NICU News

A close-up view of a mother with manicured nails gently touching the foot of her daughter, who is in a bed in the neonatal intensive care unit
News

Family Integrated Care Program: Making a Difference in the Lives of NICU Babies and Their Caregivers

Family Integrated Care Program: Making a Difference in the Lives of NICU Babies and Their Caregivers

Baby Monroe lies in a NICU bed at South Shore Hospital shortly after birth, as mother Jillian reaches out to touch her, smiling, from her own hospital bed.
Blog

Jillian and Monroe's Story: "We Are Alive Because of Them."

Jillian and Monroe's Story: "We Are Alive Because of Them."

Early photo of Weymouth Hospital building located in the H.B. Reed Estate
News

From Humble Beginnings to the Region's Largest Health System: South Shore Hospital Celebrates a Century of Caring

From Humble Beginnings to the Region's Largest Health System: South Shore Hospital Celebrates a Century of Caring