Before The NICU.

Health care in Philadelphia was different from today's medical treatment. For one, illnesses were treated at home because many families could not afford medical expenses. Children and infants were mainly admitted to adult hospitals and often died due to cross infection and neglect. The care of newborn babies, sick or well remained largely in the hands of mothers and midwives.

Some baby incubators, similar to those used for hatching chicks, were devised in the late nineteenth century. In the U.S. these where shown at commercial exhibitions, complete with babies inside, until 1943. It wasn't until after the Second World War those special care baby units were established in many hospitals. Incubators were expensive so the whole room often was kept warm.