NICU

If your baby needs specialized care after birth, you can trust us to provide expert care and compassionate support. We’re here not only to care for your baby’s needs, but to support you and your family during what can be an emotional and overwhelming time. Within our system, we have five NICUs spanning from Level I to Level IV, meaning that regardless of where you give birth, we are able to get your baby the care they need when they need it.

NICU team members include lactation consultants, neonatal nurse practitioners, neonatologists, social workers, registered dietitians, various pediatric subspecialists, and occupational, respiratory and speech therapists. Our NICU nurse navigators are beacons of support for you and your family. They will provide you with important information about our labor and delivery units, help schedule prenatal and childbirth classes and facilitate consultations with a neonatologist.

In addition, at St. David's Medical Center and St. David's Women's Center of Texas, families with a newborn in the NICU can take advantage of our Ronald McDonald Family Rooms. These dedicated spaces enable you to rest and recharge while your baby receives care.

Our NICUs range from Level I to Level IV based on the complexity of care provided to newborns and the hospitals capabilities. All NICUs feature advanced technology and offer advanced care for newborns.

If your baby requires a higher level of care than what is available at their hospital, our maternal and neonatal transport team will transport your baby to a higher level NICU within the St. David's network. Our team also offers postpartum transfers to keep mom and baby together.

Level I: Regular nursery care that is available at most hospitals that deliver babies

• St. David’s Georgetown Medical Center

Level II: Intensive care for sick and premature infants

• St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center
• St. David’s South Austin Medical Center

Level III: Comprehensive care for more seriously ill newborns and micropreemies

• St. David's Women's Center of Texas at St. David's North Austin Medical Center

Level IV: Highest level of care. Level IV units include the capabilities of Level III with additional capabilities and considerable experience in the care of the most complex and critically ill newborn infants and should have pediatric medical and pediatric surgical specialty consultants continuously available 24 hours a day.

• St. David’s Medical Center

Even after your baby graduates from the NICU, your family continues to have access to expert pediatric care through St. David’s Children’s Hospital. If any additional medical needs arise, our experienced team of pediatric specialists are here to provide ongoing support to ensure your child receives the best possible care every step of the way.

Whether your baby needs a little or a lot of extra help, we provide the care they need at our NICUs.

Our Level III and Level IV NICUs have micropreemie programs that offer specialized care for the tiniest and most fragile premature babies who have unique medical, developmental and family support needs that go beyond standard NICU care. Our neonatologists, MFMs and your primary OB will work together to explore options that are tailored to your unique circumstances and the gestational age of your pregnancy.

Our Level IV NICU at St. David’s Medical Center has a long-standing, robust neonatal surgical program and is uniquely equipped to provide advanced surgical care. The neonatal specialists at this hospital perform a wide range of neonatal surgeries, including procedures related to the following specialties:

• Cardiology
• Dermatology
• Gastroenterology
• General surgery
• Hematology
• Infectiology (infectious disease care)
• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopedic surgery
• Otolaryngology (head and neck care)
• Pulmonology
• Radiology
• Urology

Our neuro NICU team brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts who are trained in pediatric neurological care of newborns. We care for babies 22 weeks and older We will develop a comprehensive, individualized plan that is continuously adapted based on your newborn's progress.

We offer the most advanced expertise, treatments and technology available, including:

• Cooling therapy for newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) that will cool your baby's core temperature for 72 hours to slow brain metabolism and prevent further damage.
• Electroencephalogram (EEG) and amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) to record brain electrical activity over extended periods. Continuous brain monitoring gives our team direct information about your newborn's brain function.

St. David's Medical Center is the primary surgical NICU, so infants needing surgery can be transferred within the St. David's HealthCare system.

Our maternal fetal nurse navigators are your dedicated guides throughout your pregnancy journey. As your consistent point of contact, they will personally connect you with the right specialists and services, helping to reduce stress and ensure your experience is supportive and personalized. Your nurse navigator can help you:

• Build and maintain a personalized care file, ensuring high-level communication among the care team for you and your baby
• Collaborate with your obstetrician (OB), maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist, neonatologists, pediatric surgeons and other specialists to develop a delivery plan and coordinated care
• Coordinate a personalized tour of our maternity areas and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
• Maintain your medical records, requests and referrals
• Refer you to additional resources and specialized programs
• Schedule a face-to-face consultation with one of our board-certified neonatologists to discuss your baby's care and expectations

Your OB or MFM can refer you to one of our programs. 

We treat newborns and premature babies with complex medical and surgical conditions, including:

• Congenital lung malformations
• Congenital diaphragmatic hernias
• Esophageal atresia
• Fetal gastroschisis
• Fetal hernia/hydrocele
• Fetal intestinal atresia
• Fetal omphalocele
• Gastrostomy tube
• Hernia
• Hirschsprung disease
• Hydrocephalus
• Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
• Imperforate anus
• Intestinal malrotation and volvulus
• Necrotizing enterocolitis
• Spontaneous intestinal perforation
• Ovarian cysts or mass
• Posterior urethral valves
• Sacrococcygeal teratoma
• Spina bifida or myelomeningocele
• Tracheoesophageal fistula
• Tracheostomy