Driscoll Women’s Center Other Services
Driscoll Children's Hospital
If your baby needs specialized medical care after birth, Driscoll Children's
Hospital is here for you, and will offer the very best medical care available
to your baby.
Driscoll Children’s Hospital is a 200-bed pediatric tertiary care
center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical
and nine surgical specialties.
The facility’s referral area spans 31,000 square miles, making
it larger than the state of South Carolina, and offers care to children
throughout the Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Valley. Each year, more than
6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery
and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care. The first South
Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children, Driscoll
provides emergency care to more than 40,000 children per year.
Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport
team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit and 40-bed neonatal intensive
care unit, renowned pediatric intensive care program, specialized medical
outreach to the children of South Texas.
Perinatology Services
Perinatology is a subspecialty of obstetrics concerned with the care
of the mother and fetus at higher-than-normal risk for complications.
A perinatologist is a medical doctor (obstetrician) who specializes in
the care of women who are at high risk for having problems during pregnancy.
A high-risk baby might be cared for by a perinatologist before birth and
by a neonatologist after birth.
Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (N.I.C.U.)
Having your baby admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (N.I.C.U.)
can be a confusing and frightening time. Driscoll’s own dedicated,
caring, and compassionate medical professionals nurture each baby, and
provide the best treatment options, information, and support to families.
With the highest level of accredited care in the area, Driscoll’s
Level III N.I.C.U. has cared for more than 20,000 critically ill and premature
infants in South Texas for more than 50 years, offering state-of-the-art
services and programs not found anywhere else in South Texas. The 40-bed
N.I.C.U. cares for newborns and infants for a variety of reasons including
prematurity (carried less than 37 weeks), respiratory distress, infections,
birth defects, and other illnesses. The N.I.C.U. is the only hospital
in South Texas staffed by Neonatologists in the hospital 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, not on-call like other hospitals. This around-the-clock,
continuous in-house care requires neonatologists to be bed-side in a matter
of seconds.
In addition, children are not small adults, and their small bodies require
specially-trained health care professionals who care exclusively for children.
Pediatric critical care nurses, pediatric respiratory therapists, pediatric
dieticians, and even pediatric surgeons and pediatric anesthesiologists
make up the entire Driscoll NI.C.U. team. They are all specially trained
to care for the tiniest of babies … day in and day out.
Board-Certified Neonatologists:
Driscoll Children’s Hospital Level III Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit
(361) 694-5335
Driscoll Children’s Genetics Center
Driscoll offers a full-scale genetic center complete with fetal screenings
to determine genetic diseases such as Down’s Syndrome or chromosomal
disorders, genetic counseling, pediatric genetics (children with birth
defects), and cancer genetics. The facility’s geneticists work in
conjunction with obstetricians to determine the health of an unborn baby,
as well as offer the very best plan of care if one is needed.
Board-Certified Pediatric Geneticists:
• Raymond Lewandowski, M.D.
• Richard Roberts, M.D.
Driscoll Children’s Genetics Center
(361) 694-1600
“Mom’s Place,” an on-site breastfeeding
resource center
Driscoll encourages, promotes, and supports all breastfeeding women in
their efforts to provide the best nutrition to their children. Staffed
around-the-clock, “Mom’s Place” is a breast milk center
providing multiple functions primarily serving as a safe and secure place
designated to pump and store a mother’s breast milk. The resource
center also provides breast feeding classes, educational literature in
both English and Spanish, and information on the benefits of breastfeeding
for both mom and baby.
Many new moms do not experience the bonding with their child after a
pre-mature birth as many babies are immediately rushed to Driscoll’s
N.I.C.U. By utilizing “Mom’s Place,” these new moms
are able to offer their babies breast milk and all of its benefits as
it has medically been proven to be significant in the first stages of
a child’s life. Research shows possible protective effects against
SIDS, lymphoma, and allergic diseases to name a few. Breast milk also
decreases the incidence and severity of diarrhea, lower respiratory infection,
and bacterial meningitis.
A full-time Lactation Consultant with more than 16 years of experience
is available for questions and consultation while Breast Milk and Formula
Technicians oversee those babies who need additional nutrients supplied
to their breast milk.
Board-Certified Lactation Consultant:
• Laurie Beck, R.N., M.S.N., I.B.C.L.C. – Lactation Program
Coordinator
Driscoll Children’s Hospital’s Mom’s Place
(361) 694-5338
Tips for a Safe & Healthy Pregnancy…
Medications Safe to Take During Pregnancy
Medications during pregnancy are best to be avoided to prevent any complications
with the developing baby. However, women during pregnancy are not exempt
from having pain and sometimes needing medication. You should always consult
your doctor before taking any medications.
SYMPTOM MEDICATION
Pain or headache
• Tylenol Regular Strength, 2 tablets every 4 to 6 hours
Fever
• Tylenol as above
Colds or Sinus Problems
• Sudafed, 2 tablets every 6 hours for congestion
• Robitussin DM, 2 tablespoons every 6 hours for cough
• Benadryl, 1 or 2 tablets every 6 to 8 hours for congestion (this
will make you very drowsy)
Constipation
• Drink plenty of fluids, exercise
• Fibercon and Colace per package directions
• If severely constipated, may use 1 tablespoon Milk of Magnesia
Hemorrhoids
• Anusol HC cream (no prescription needed)
• Stool softeners (Fibercon/Colace)
• Prevent constipation and straining; drink more water!!
Nausea
• Don't force yourself to eat. Concentrate on clear liquids (broth,
jello, apple or cranberry juice, water).
• Eat small meals frequently instead of 3 big meals
• Crackers first thing in the morning; keep within easy reach of
• your bed. They work best if eaten before you lifting or moving
• your head around in the morning.
• May use vitamin B6 (no prescription needed) daily
• Sea Bands (accupressure bands)
• Call if you drink water then vomit it back up.
Heartburn
• Tums, 2 tablets after each meal
• Maalox, 1 tablespoon after meals
• Sit upright and don't lay flat for 2 hours after eating
Vaginal Yeast Infections
• Gynelotramin (no prescription needed) cream or suppositories in
vagina for 7 nights
Nutrition During Pregnancy
What you eat every day, even before you are pregnant, is important for
your health as well as for the health of your baby. Your diet before pregnancy
and while you are pregnant should contain the vitamins and nutrients that
your body will need to help your baby develop and grow the way he or she
should. Practice healthy eating and take a multivitamin each and every
day. Start this good habit before you become pregnant and continue eating
healthy and taking a prenatal multivitamin throughout your pregnancy.
If you need help choosing healthy foods or have questions about how to
improve your diet for your future baby, ask anyone in our office, and
we’ll be happy to assist you.
If you are eating a healthy diet before you become pregnant, you may
only need to make a few changes to meet the nutritional needs of pregnancy.
According to the American Dietetic Association, pregnant women should
increase their usual servings of a variety of foods from the four basic
food groups (up to a total of 2,500 to 2,700 calories daily) to include
fruits and vegetables, proteins, dairy, and whole grains. |
