Paducah Mother & Baby Care

NICU cares for tiniest patients

More mothers choose to have their babies at Baptist Health Paducah than at all other western Kentucky hospitals combined – 1,400 annually.

Our Mother and Baby care team allows the family to keep their newborn in a private room, and Kangaroo care offers special bonding time after delivery.

In 2011, we opened the region’s only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with specialized care, if needed. Approximately 1 in 4 babies arrive too early, or with special health concerns, requiring intensive care.

Babies born as early as 12 weeks before their due date can stay in Paducah until they are ready to go home. Since the NICU opened here, more than 1,000 babies and their families have benefited from this local service, avoiding costly and inconvenient transfers to Nashville, Louisville or Cape Girardeau.

The NICU has been growing steadily, now with 10 licensed beds. Renovation is under way to accommodate the growth and improve the space for families.

Also, we are working to offer transportation for babies born at nearby hospitals to transfer to Baptist Health Paducah’s NICU, rather than the faraway options.

The Neonatal Level II Nursery meets guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Guidelines for Perinatal Care, sixth edition.

Baptist Health Foundation Paducah has provided special equipment, including:

• Infant warmers
• Cardiac monitors and resuscitation units, allowing babies to go into mothers’ rooms to encourage early bonding
• Videocams, so distant friends and relatives can view the babies remotely

The hospital Foundation commissioned Paducah artist Kijsa Housman to paint “All God’s Children,” a mural near the nursery to benefit the NICU. Parents, friends and corporate partners may sponsor artistic elements on the mural, including a crystal apple ornament, named in honor of a child.