FAQs
Isn’t the Level 3 NICU
at my community hospital as good as the one at Texas Children’s?
While a Level 3 at another hospital may
offer some of the same services available at Texas Children’s, one of the things
that makes our care so special is our team of experts. Texas Children’s Newborn
Center is home to nationally-known neonatologists and neonatal specialists – some
of whom serve on national committees and with the American Academy of Pediatrics and
work to set the national standards on how critically
ill newborns are treated.
They conduct research, and they train many of the nation’s neonatologists through
presentations at conferences, symposias and published articles
and books.
They also run one of the country's largest
fellowship training programs.
Additionally, Texas Children’s
is one of only 2 hospitals in the area with the highest level NICU, Level 3C.
This means that a baby in our NICU has immediate access to specialized doctors,
such as pediatric cardiologists, cardiac
surgeons,
neurosurgeons and radiologists, and
treatments, such as the highest level of
respiratory support, that lower Level 3 NICUs
can't offer. Learn more about why our Newborn Center
stands above the rest.
Can’t we just move my
baby to Texas Children’s if we need specialty care?
Texas Children’s Newborn Center cares for
many babies who were born elsewhere – locally, nationally and internationally. When
a newborn baby’s health is critical, minutes count. That’s why Texas Children’s
has partnered with St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital to provide full-service
maternity care. Since St. Luke’s and Texas Children’s share a common facility,
your baby can be transferred to Texas Children’s Newborn Center without ever leaving
the hospital. This allows women’s services and neonatal services to work seamlessly
to help sick infants.
Learn more about delivering your baby with Texas Children’s
If your critically ill infant
was born elsewhere, Texas Children’s also provides neonatal transport through our
Kangaroo Crew – a specialized transport service that
brings babies, in need of specialty neonatal care, from outlying hospitals to Texas
Children’s Hospital.
The transport team
is specially trained in transporting
critically ill babies. The team is
supervised by a neonatologist and includes the expertise of a neonatal nurse,
a neonatal respiratory therapist and, as
needed, a neonatal nurse practitioner on each transport. The Kangaroo Crew fleet, comprised of ambulances and
a fixed-wing aircraft, safely transports more than 700 babies to the Texas Children’s NICU each year.
Do I have to drive into
the Medical Center to get Texas Children’s care for my baby?
Actually, Texas Children’s is affiliated
with the Level 2 NICUs in 4 community hospitals
located throughout the region. At these facilities you’ll get Texas Children’s
standard of care close to home and the option of immediate transfer to Texas Children’s
Level 3C NICU if needed.
How can I arrange for
my newborn baby to be transferred to Texas Children's Newborn Center?
To request transfer of a newborn to Texas
Children's Hospital, your doctor should call:
What is Kangaroo Crew?
Kangaroo
Crew is a specialized transport service
that efficiently and safely brings critically ill babies and children who need specialty
neonatal pediatric care to Texas Children's Hospital.
Can a parent or family member be with my newborn baby at all times?
Yes. A parent or family member can stay with the baby 24/7. In fact, we
see parents as an integral part of the care
team. We encourage parental presence as much
as possible in the NICU.
Who will be
taking care of
my newborn baby? What will they be doing?
The
team assigned to each infant in intensive
care varies according to that baby’s needs. Every team includes a neonatologist,
a specially trained neonatal nurse and other newborn specialists. Learn more about
the team at Texas Children's Newborn Center.
What if I want to breastfeed my baby?
Texas Children's offers excellent breastfeeding and lactation services
and support for hospitalized babies through the
Mother's Own Milk Bank. In many cases, mothers can pump breast milk
and feed their babies in the Newborn Center or store
it for future feedings during
hospitalization.
What if I am hospitalized and unable to go to Texas Children's with my baby?
If you are unable to visit your baby in the Newborn Center, there are several
ways to stay in touch with your baby’s care team. We are always happy to update
you frequently on your baby’s condition by telephone. If you are recuperating at
St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and other select hospitals, you may request to use
Family Vision which allows
you to see your baby and interact with the care team at Texas Children's Hospital
via a video/audio link.
