Dell Children's Medical Center adds nearly two dozen additional NICU rooms
AUSTIN, Texas - Dell Children's Medical Center is expanding its services. The hospital opened a brand-new formula lab for newborns and nearly two dozen additional NICU rooms.
"This has been quite a journey for us. We are from St. Louis, Missouri, and our girls developed stage two twin to twin transfusion syndrome at 21 weeks and 6 days," says parent of twins in the NICU, Morgan Dierker.
Morgan and Luke Dierker welcomed identical twin girls at thirty weeks and four days. The twins are currently in the NICU at Dell Children's Medical Center.
"It is so hard to leave your baby when they are in the NICU, but they are not supposed to be here yet, so you want them to have the best care, and they do," says Morgan Dierker.
The parents joined the staff of Dell Children's Medical Center in the ribbon cutting celebrating the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, adding 24 new rooms to the current 32.
"This facility will give us about 40 percent more capacity to take care of the very sickest babies here in Austin," says Dell Children’s Medical Center Division of Neonatology Chief Dr. John Loyd.
"They are going to have more beds, so more opportunities for people to get treated by them," says Luke Dierker.
MORE HEALTH NEWS
- Study pinpoints how many extra births occurred after Roe v Wade overturned
- Alabama woman with two uteruses is pregnant with twins, one in each womb: ‘1 in 50 million’ chance
- Robotic legs allowing children to take first steps
The rooms will include an area for a parent to stay and a private bathroom.
"We are here all day every single day and having a little more comfortable situation in the room for parents is such a beautiful, beautiful thing to have," says Morgan Dierker.
And it's an opportunity to care for more patients and help families along their journey, according to Dr. John Loyd.
"We see a tremendously complicated group of medical conditions and have to walk their families through what is often months of hospital stay and multiple surgeries and procedures," says Dr. Loyd.
In addition to the rooms, the hospital opened a new formula lab and milk bank.
"It is incredible what they do. Every single baby has a specific formula that they create that is for your baby and helps them grow," says Morgan Dierker.
"This is a completely unique place in all of Central Texas to deliver and receive the most medically sophisticated care available", Dr. Loyd.