Neonatal Intensive Care
The arrival of your baby is a joyful and exciting time – one of your family's most important life events. When a newborn baby needs special care, it can be an emotional and challenging time for new parents. At Woodland Heights Medical Center, we are proud to offer Lufkin's only Level III neonatal intensive care unit. Conveniently close to home, the NICU offers specialized services for newborns in need of additional care.
The NICU provides access to equipment and resources in an environment that can support and strengthen your baby's delicate immune system. The NICU offers an optimal environment for maintaining a baby's proper body temperature, as well as delivering sufficient nourishment to help build little muscles and strengthen vital organs in those first few days after birth.
Woodland Heights Medical Center has the only Level III NICU in the deep East Texas area (90-mile radius). Read more here.
Compassionate, professional care
Woodland Heights Medical Center's 15-bed, Level III neonatal intensive care unit provides quality care for newborns and their families. The nursery is equipped and staffed to care for pre-term infants to full-term infants. Babies come to the NICU for many reasons: they can be premature, very small, born with a condition that requires special attention or monitoring or have just experienced difficulties during delivery. Sometimes your baby just needs a little more time to mature before he or she is ready to go home. The NICU provides the extra level of support and care your baby needs and is the only Level III facility in a 90-mile radius.
Read more information about the NICU here.
We offer:
- 24-hour in-house neonatology coverage with neonatal nurse practitioner
- Specially-trained nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists
Your baby's stay in the NICU
The length of time your baby will stay in the NICU is determined by the nature of care he or she needs. While the team of specially trained nurses at Woodland Heights Medical Center will deliver the baby's day-to-day care, the most important person involved in your baby's treatment is you. In addition to medical care, bonding time with parents is important for your new baby. Talk with your doctor to learn what is best for your baby and how you can participate in his or her care. Sometimes, being held close and cuddled is the best medicine for a baby – and who better to do this than a parent.
For your family
Breastfeeding services
Woodland Heights Medical Center has certified lactation counselors on staff, along with additional trained staff members, who can assist with any lactation needs and provide support throughout the newborn's stay in the NICU. While an electric breast pump is provided temporarily during inpatient stay, the staff assists mothers with obtaining a breast pump to take for home use. Mothers are encourage to store their milk for later use and Woodland Heights Medical Center will furnish containers and labels for your convenience. Additionally, Woodland Heights Medical Center has a partnership with Mothers Milk Bank of North Texas to offer donor milk for mothers who may have difficulty producing their own.
Visiting
Woodland Heights Medical Center strives to provide quality care for your baby – and for the rest of your family. Our facilities are designed to put parents and family members at ease and provide a comfortable environment while visiting. To access the NICU, please come to the second floor postpartum nurses station. Free wireless internet access is available in all areas of the hospital.