Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Midland Health has made several advancements towards providing an even higher level of care for children and infants in the Permian Basin. In 2020, our state-of-the-art Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) opened. The NICU at Midland Memorial Hospital is a 18 bed unit and partners with Pediatrix to help care for our patients requiring neonatal services.

A neonatologist is available 24/7 to provide care for more premature infants alongside our experienced staff. Our precious miracles get dedicated attention that includes lactation support, nursing care, respiratory therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, dietician services and physical therapy.

Some of the other great amenities of the NICU at Midland Health are:

Donor milk service drop off location, as well as available donor milk for those in need
State-of-the-art milk prep room.
Respiratory therapists workroom on the unit.
A combination of private rooms and pods. The pods help the baby socialize and get used to activity and noise.
Rooming in-room where parents can stay the night with the baby to prepare for discharge and caring for the newborn at home.
Access to the Ronald McDonald Family Room.

Parent Education
Because most neonatal patients require special care even after discharge, parent education is important. Parents may take the time they need, spending the night if necessary, until they feel fully prepared to provide the care their baby needs at home.

Neonatal Pain Management
To help newborns who are in pain, comfort activities can be very helpful. These activities include being gentle when moving or touching the baby, holding the baby close to your body, rocking them, wrapping them snugly in a blanket, and holding them with their arms and legs tucked in. It's also important to keep the room quiet and calm, and sometimes giving them a pacifier. If the pain is strong, the baby might be in need of medicine. This medicine can be taken by mouth, put on the skin, injected into the skin or muscle, or given through a small tube in a blood vessel (IV).

Kangaroo Care
Kangaroo care, also called skin-to-skin care, means holding your baby next to your bare chest. The name comes from the way a mother kangaroo cares for her prematurely born baby by holding her little one close to her body in her pouch. Kangaroo care is good for both mother and baby. When a mother snuggles her baby against her chest, the baby relaxes, breathes easier, sleeps better and may gain weight more quickly.

Patient Stories

For more information on the NICU, please click here.