What is NICU?
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at McAllen Medical Center is a special place in the hospital for newborn babies who need extra care because they were born prematurely, had difficulty during delivery or have unusual medical conditions during their first days of life.

The NICU at McAllen Medical Center was the first in the Rio Grande Valley when it opened more than 25 years ago, and remains the only neonatal surgical center in the area. If your baby has to stay in the NICU, the length of his or her stay will depend on the severity of illness, weight, gestational age and the readiness of you and your family to provide care at home. Family members can get training to help them prepare to take their baby home.

What happens in NICU?
The NICU is a quiet space equipped with advanced medical technology and a caring professional staff, all inside a sterile environment. The unit’s design allows the staff to keep a constant, watchful eye on babies in the NICU.

Being in the NICU can be a complex experience because each baby’s condition is unique.

After they reach a diagnosis, physicians and nurses will develop a treatment plan that includes medication and feeding schedules. Some babies may be too sick or too small to eat on their own, while others may need extra high-calorie diets because they are growing so rapidly so some babies may be fitted with feeding tubes.

Your baby’s neonatologist will order tests, such as blood or urine analyses, to help track you’re his or her progress. In some cases, infants may have IV lines to help avoid too many needle sticks. Arterial lines may be used to monitor your baby’s blood pressure or the oxygen levels in his or her blood. In addition, some babies need ventilators to help them breathe.

Babies in the NICU often need to be kept warm, so your baby may have a radiant heater over his or her bed. Or, your baby may be placed in a isolette, or a small, enclosed bed with temperature control.

Phototherapy is often used to treat infants who have infections or jaundice. (Jaundice, while not uncommon in newborns, can lead to permanent and disabling health consequences when not diagnosed and treated promptly. Contact your pediatrician immediately if you notice yellowing of your infant’s skin or eyes.)

If you don’t understand any of the monitors, tubes, tests, machines or procedures being administered to your baby, please ask his or her primary nurse for an explanation.

Who will care for my baby in the NICU?
When your baby is in the NICU at McAllen Medical Center, a team of healthcare professionals who are trained and experienced in neonatology will care for him or her. Learn more...