Cook Children's NEST Developmental Follow-up Center

NEST Center graphic

Early arrival babies or those born with medical conditions may grow and develop more slowly. Most will catch up in time. However, some babies may have extra challenges. For these children, the NICU graduate Early Support and care Transition (NEST) Center is here to help. We give them that extra nudge so that they can grow and reach their fullest potential.

NEST serves families on the post NICU journey. Our goal is to walk alongside you in the critical early years.

Who we are

Our goal is to provide comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, and family-centered care designed to support the developmental, medical and psychosocial progress of each child and their family through five years of life. We want to ensure that every NICU graduate has the opportunity to reach their fullest individual developmental potential.

NEST serves families on the post NICU journey. Our multidisciplinary team is here to help you from discharge through the age of five. Your pediatrician will follow your child until the age of 18. The pediatrician sees your baby for well checkups, sick visits and immunizations.

Our goal is to walk alongside you in the critical early years. Early intervention proves to make a difference with long-term outcomes. Our goal is to provide early detection and intervention to reduce the risk of long-term challenges.

Early arrival babies or those born with medical conditions may grow and develop more slowly. Most will catch up in time. However, some babies may have extra challenges. For these children, the NEST Center is here to help. We give them that extra nudge so that they can grow and reach their fullest potential. Sometimes preemies and babies who are born with serious medical conditions have a higher risk of future challenges with hearing, seeing, talking, feeding, motor skills and intellectual development. Early intervention can help reduce the risk and improve your child's developmental progress. Cook Children's NEST Center provides support, planning and care coordination for these high-risk NICU graduate babies.

What you can expect

The NICU team will identify if your child needs to come to the NEST Center and schedule your child's appointment if needed, prior to NICU discharge, or shortly thereafter. Our developmental team will provide a comprehensive evaluation of your child and identify any potential issues. Our team also celebrates with you on your child's progress!

During this appointment, our neonatal development specialist will evaluate your child and identify any potential issues. Because some developmental issues may not be apparent until the first few months or years, our team will continue to monitor your child's growth and development through five years of age.

The goal of our program is to provide assessments for earlier identification of:

Developmental delay
Behavioral problems
Socialization issues
Vision, hearing and learning difficulties
Motor skill challenges
Emotional and mental health concerns
Growth and Nutrition

Cook Children's NEST Developmental Follow-up Center

Who we are

What you can expect

We're here to help