Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Family-centered neonatal intensive care in Dallas

When your baby requires special care, we're here to support your family every moment of the way

Our level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scott & White Health offers advanced life support services for premature and seriously ill newborns, with care ranging from full-term newborns with complex conditions to micropremies born at 24-weeks gestational age.

In the NICU, your baby receives care from a team of specialized registered nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners, neonatologists and several other skilled staff. Our NICU team is present during high-risk deliveries to care immediately for the baby and offers access to pediatric surgical specialists for prenatal consultation and surgical planning when needed.

Parents are at the heart of their baby's care team to bond with their newborn and feel empowered to care for their baby when it's time to go home.

Level IV Neonatal Care designation

Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scott & White Health is a Level IV Neonatal Facility designated by the Texas department of state health services for offering the highest level of care for newborns. The designation was awarded for Baylor University Medical Center's advanced care capabilities for neonatal patients in Dallas, which encompasses:

Ability to care for all gestational ages
Availability of medical subspecialist for neonates
Availability of surgical subspecialist for neonates
A team to transport patients from referring facilities
Excellence in quality improvement

Advanced NICU services in Dallas

Along with specialized technology and expert care, we offer numerous services to help your baby thrive

Nutrition
Occupational therapy
Speech pathology for feeding
Respiratory therapy
Case management and social work
Surgical services
Ophthalmology
24-hour in-house neonatologist

What to expect in the NICU

With our family-centered approach, our staff helps you understand your baby’s care and keeps you involved in every step.

Support as you go home

We want you to feel confident when your baby leaves the NICU. To help you prepare to care for your baby, we offer:

Classes and bedside education for parents before discharge
Case management services
Review of any equipment or medications you'll need to use at home
Feeding education, including lactation consultants

NICU image gallery

Our Tiniest Texans® program

Dedicated to the care of micro-preemies

The Tiniest Texans® program at Baylor University Medical Center is dedicated to the care of micro-preemies, which is what we call a baby born at less than 28 weeks or weighing less than 1000g. Micro-preemies are at higher risk for a multitude of complications such as brain bleeds, improper eye development, developmental delays and chronic lung disease. The care these babies receive in their first hours, weeks, and months of life can have a permanent impact on their lives.

The Tiniest Texans program within Baylor University Medical Center’s Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is focused on offering a comprehensive approach to caring for micro-preemies that incorporates the following components:

A tailored environment, that is quieter and provides less stimulation
A specially trained care team, with special certifications and expertise to care for small babies
Advanced equipment, with the latest technology to reduce complications, and protocols designed to support the most vulnerable newborns
Family-centered support and healthcare information to encourage bonding between parents and their babies

For these tiny babies, a brighter future becomes possible by being born somewhere that can provide them with the highest quality of care. The Tiniest Texans Program offers care that is well-beyond what is available in the typical NICU setting, helping to reduce babies’ developmental delays, chronic medical problems, and support long-term quality of life.

Bonding with baby through reading

KangaREAD^® is an evidence-based reading program established at Baylor University Medical Center that helps you build a healthy bond with your baby in the NICU.

Reading to your baby and cuddling with skin-to-skin contact promotes brain development and provides comfort and security—especially for premature infants. Establishing a KangaREAD routine in the NICU also promotes an easy transition to home.

Support for feeding and swallowing

It's common for babies in the NICU to need special help with feeding and swallowing.

We collaborate with Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation to care for feeding or swallowing difficulties. You’ll have access to support from specialists trained in speech-language pathology, rehabilitation therapy, and ear, nose and throat conditions in infants and premature babies.

Inpatient support team

In the news

Child meets NICU nurses who saved his life after being delivered at 24 weeks

A baby who stopped growing at just 21 weeks of pregnancy and was then delivered three weeks later just turned 4 years old—beating some significant odds.

Baylor University Medical Center receives highest designation for maternal care

Baylor University Medical Center is the first hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth to receive the highest designation from the state of Texas for maternal care—Level IV.

Dallas hospital adds music therapist to NICU

Baylor University Medical Center added a music therapy specialist through its Arts in Medicine program.