Maternity and NICU

Critically ill and premature infants need highly specialized care. Our family-centered team of obstetricians, perinatologists, pediatric surgeons, nurses, therapists, social workers and administrative and support staff works with your physician to provide an unbroken chain of care for you and your infant.

Children’s Mercy neonatologists are on call at the health system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are always available to assist physicians in the greater Kansas City area or across the state of Kansas, whether they request a simple consultation or immediate help from our neonatal transport service.

Care can begin before birth and continue in our Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, and on to our Neonatal Medical Home. Throughout, we welcome family and friends, balancing the needs of quality medical care and the psychological well-being of the infant, parents and siblings.

As an academic medical center, we're always discovering better ways to help children stay healthy and get well faster. Our physicians and staff are active in teaching, research and national trials. As a result, emerging treatments can often be offered to our patients before they are widely available.

For parents-to-be, having access to the best care means peace of mind. At The University of Kansas Health System, we work with you every step of the way to make sure mother and baby have the best start in their new journey together.

The care we provide is tailored to each pregnancy. Our physicians are some of the most experienced in the area, whether you need routine care or help managing a high-risk pregnancy. Our services are backed by leading-edge research and some of the most high-tech advances, both for moms and babies – a combination you’ll only find at an academic medical center.

We know that premature babies are born fighters. Our neonatal intensive care specialists can help you and your brave little champ from the first big battle and long into the future.

As a Level 3 nursery, our hospital is one of the few in greater Kansas City that provides comprehensive neonatal care in 1 location. Our highly experienced physicians and staff provide around-the-clock, multidisciplinary care for newborns. We consistently meet or exceed national standards on survival rates recently seen in premature and other at-risk infants.

Our hospital also provides Angel Eye Health cameras for most patient beds. These 1-way, 24/7 viewing cameras are for parents, family and friends who have been granted access to monitor their baby when they cannot be by the side of their child. These donor-funded HD cameras are located on NICU, PICU and pediatrics floors.

Our staff helps parents bond with their babies, and visits from family and friends are welcome. This helps balance the emotional well-being of the baby, parents and siblings with high-quality medical care.

Visiting the NICU can be an overwhelming experience. We encourage you to visit and fully participate in your baby's care. We are happy to answer any questions.

Once your child has graduated from the NICU, follow-up appointments will be held in the Neonatal Medical Home. Here, board-certified neonatologists provide primary care to children, up to age 5, with medical complexities.

Our specially trained staff provides well-child visits, acute care, retinopathy exams, breastfeeding support and RSV prophylaxis. Physical, occupational and speech therapists, subspecialists, dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, case managers and social workers are available to provide care at the clinic.

Located on the hospital’s first floor, the Neonatal Medical Home offers families the ease of a single point of contact for this highly specialized medical care. The clinic features 5 exam rooms specially designed for neonatal patients and their specialists.

Office hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays. To schedule an appointment or speak with a Neonatal Medical Home team member, call 913-588-6337.

We encourage partners and other support people to actively take part in the educational process, labor, birth, postpartum and newborn care. Our state-of-the-art labor and delivery suites give family members and visitors a comfortable place to visit their new little ones. It’s the first place you’ll stay with your baby. We make sure your stay is comfortable and gives you as much 1-on-1 time with your little one as possible.

For those with health challenges, the hospital serves as one location for all of your maternity and specialty care needs. An expert team of physicians is on hand to treat and monitor health problems during pregnancy and delivery – and to coordinate care along the way.

When babies need an extra level of care before birth, physicians and researchers with the Center for Advanced Fetal Care provide the latest fetal diagnosis and treatment. Newborns who need an extra level of care benefit from our Level III NICU. Here, premature babies and those with all types of serious medical conditions survive and thrive more often than those cared for at many other hospitals.

The care we provide grows with them into adulthood. The babies in our care can transition to our pediatric and adult care programs. No other health system in the region provides care throughout every stage of life.

We accept most major insurance plans, including Kansas Medicaid.