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Why choose Cook Children’s for neonatal care

In Neonatology, it’s the little things that matter. That's why our nationally recognized Level IV NICU provides the highest level of care available for preemies, micropreemies, newborns with anomalies (birth defects) and babies with health conditions. Cook Children's is one of only a handful of NICUs nationwide to provide single patient rooms. These individual rooms enable us to provide the highly specialized intensive care services and attention that medically fragile babies need. All of these advantages, plus our advanced technology, top doctors and one-of-a-kind developmental program, means we give every baby we treat the strongest chance possible for a happy, healthy childhood.

What you can expect

Our neonatal team has extensive training and experience working with the tiniest, most fragile patients. We're designated as a center of excellence for multiple newborn conditions. 

We have the only Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Fort Worth. In addition, we've recently opened the first pediatric hospital NICU in Prosper, TX. That means we're trained to treat babies with the most medically complex needs. Within our NICU, we have a special unit for babies who are considered micropreemies (earlier than 28 weeks of pregnancy). Our Small Baby Unit is designed to help cater to and protect these especially fragile newborns.

Babies with health issues often need help from different specialists. Our experts coordinate your baby’s care with a comprehensive team of doctors, nurses, therapists (respiratory, occupational, physical and speech) and many other providers and support staff.

From the moment your baby is born, we include you in their care. We educate you about their condition, outlook and treatment options and life after the NICU so that you can make informed decisions that are right for your child and family. We're here to answer all of your questions and provide support when you need it.

Our NICU developmental follow-up center (NEST) helps your baby transition to life outside of the NICU and supports your family. We'll follow your child's growth and development until they're five years old. Our specialists can detect health challenges early on and ensure your child receives treatment. Like you, we want your child to reach their fullest potential.

When a baby is born in another hospital but needs urgent, highly specialized care, you can count on our team. Our team of experts provides rapid, safe, and efficient transport services to our state-of-the-art medical center. They can even be present prior to delivery to help resuscitate newborns. Our specially equipped fleet of ambulances, airplanes and helicopters are available 24/7.

We're dedicated to the health and safety of every baby throughout our region and beyond. We host a number of educational programs for physicians and other NICUs in the community. We also communicate with referring obstetricians and pediatricians to ensure that each baby has a well-informed team.

Advancing neonatal care

Your baby receives care from a comprehensive team of world-class providers, including:

  • Neonatologists, doctors who specialize in caring for newborns, especially those who were born prematurely or have health issues.
  • Nurses and nurse practitioners specializing in high-risk newborn care.
    • If you connect with any of our nurses and wish to request them as a primary nurse to your child, please speak to nurse management about this process. Choosing primary nurse(s) means that when they are working management will do their very best to ensure they're caring for your baby.
  • Specialists as needed, such as neonatal cardiologists (heart), pulmonologists (lungs), gastroenterologists (digestion), endocrinologists (hormones and glands), nephrologists (kidneys), geneticists and more.
  • Dedicated PICC line team, providers who are specially trained and designated to insert and manage peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC lines) in the smallest and sickest babies. This specialized team is unique to our medical center and ensures that only the very best are handling this intricate procedure.
  • Pharmacists who specialize in managing medications in NICU babies.
  • Physical and occupational therapists.
  • Speech therapist.
  • Case managers who coordinate your baby's care.

Your team also may include a range of dedicated support staff, such as:

  • Dietitians, milk technicians, feeding specialists, speech/swallow therapists and lactation consultants who support lactation, breastfeeding, donor milk, supplemental feeding and formula selection for special needs.
  • Respiratory, physical and occupational therapists to help your baby breathe, move and function better.
  • Staff who can help you better understand your baby's condition(s) and how to participate in their care.
  • Social workers who can connect your family to any resources you may need.
  • Spiritual care and mental health counselors to help your family cope during this challenging time.
  • Discharge coordinators to ensure you have the education and information you need to take your baby home.

This staff is NICU specific, meaning they stay within the department and are specialized in neonatal care.

Our neonatologists and their teams provide many specialty treatments that aren't available at all hospitals:

  • Aquapheresis: This innovative, lifesaving machine allows us to treat newborns less than 10 pounds. It removes excess fluids and waste to treat sudden kidney disease, fluid overload and other conditions. Aquapheresis cleans the blood and can help the kidneys rest and recover. For babies that need a kidney transplant, aquapheresis enables them to grow enough for transplantation.
  • Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO): ECMO provides temporary life support to a baby's heart and lungs to give them time to heal. Cook Children's is a designated ECMO Center of Excellence. We even have an ECMO machine available for our Teddy Bear Transport.
  • Therapeutic hypothermia: Babies that don't get enough oxygen during birth can experience a condition called hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Therapeutic hypothermia, or active body cooling, lowers a newborn's body temperature for 72 hours after birth to protect the brain. Our Teddy Bear Transport is also equipped with active body cooling. We can bring therapeutic hypothermia to babies in remote areas, delaying time to therapy when minutes count.

Our neonatologists have direct access to Cook Children's specialists, who can quickly assess and treat your baby. For example, they offer complex neonatal surgery of all kinds to treat:

Babies in the NICU seem so fragile and delicate that parents can be afraid to pick them up or hold them. But whenever possible, holding your tiny premature or critically ill baby is good for both you and your baby. One of the easiest ways to do this is through kangaroo care, the simple method of holding your baby against your bare chest for skin-to-skin contact. This can be done by both parents. We offer “kangaroo tubes” that can be worn to help you and your baby feel more secure along with warm blankets.

We have numerous resources available through lactation services for moms that are having difficulty with nursing/pumping. While other nurses are focusing on your baby's care, the lactation consultant can provide extra attention to you.

We have an on-site milk lab, and we participate in a donor breast milk program. Mothers throughout Texas and surrounding states donate breast milk to the Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas, one of only two milk banks in Texas. The donated milk is tested, pasteurized and delivered to our Level IV Neonatal ICU to provide nourishment for sick and premature babies.

Moments of magic

Hope and healing happen everyday at Cook Children's. We invite you to take a peak.