Nursery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

It’s a question all pregnant women want to know the answer but are sometimes afraid to ask. What will happen if my newborn baby is sick and needs constant support or medical attention after birth? Will I be separated from my baby?

Expectant mothers can now rest easier knowing that Presbyterian Hospital of Denton has the tools and facilities to care for critically ill newborns, is Denton’s only level-III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

“Denton’s population is growing and more women are demanding higher levels of services when it comes to delivering and caring for their babies,” said Donna Smith, Women’s Services Director at Presbyterian Hospital of Denton.  “The NICU keeps mothers and babies together after delivery and provides expectant mothers with the peace of mind that we now have all the services to care for both mom and baby.”

Previously, babies delivered in Denton with respiratory problems, birth abnormalities and congenital heart defects were stabilized and evaluated by a physician. If the case was serious, the physician may have choosen to transfer the newborn to a higher-level facility in Dallas, Fort Worth or Lewisville, separating the mom from her baby. Since the mother remained in the hospital, the father was often forced to travel to the facility to discuss his baby’s condition with a physician and to make medical decisions. When the father was unable to drive to visit, these difficult decisions were made over the phone.

This is no longer the case with Presbyterian Hospital of Denton’s NICU. Instead, the baby will be sent to the NICU within Presbyterian Hospital of Denton and will be monitored and supported by a group of neonatologists who specialize in neonatal intensive care.

According to Smith, the NICU also allows Presbyterian Hospital of Denton to service higher-risk pregnancies, including multiple gestation births.

“Currently, we handle many twin births,” Smith said. “However in multiple gestation pregnancies when the mother is expected to deliver three or more children, the odds of delivering early increase. Premature deliveries such as these often require additional services that can only be provided by a facility with an infant intensive care unit. So, our NICU allows us to serve more women with these high-risk pregnancies.”

Critically ill newborns often require extended stays in the hospital, and in many cases, the mother will be released from hospital care before the infant.  The NICU allows mothers, fathers and their immediate family members to visit the baby regularly. All immediate family members are granted access to the unit. However, prior to entering, each visitor must submit to a health screening that checks for current illnesses or exposure to illness.

As the newborn’s health improves and when NICU staff members are directed by a physician, the baby transitions from the NICU into an intermediate nursery. The evening before the infant goes home, the mother is invited to return to the hospital to spend the night with her baby.

Presbyterian Hospital of Denton’s NICU is located in The Center for Women, the building that previously served as Denton Community Hospital. In The Center for Women, ante-partum, post-partum, labor and delivery, the newborn nursery and the NICU are all be located on the same floor, allowing women convenient access to the complete range of the hospital’s services for pregnant women. The NICU is equipped with 10 advanced infant beds and new ventilators. Lactation consultants are also be available on-site.