Healthy beginnings start with tender loving care.

The first moments and days with your baby are precious. Our doctors and nurses will help your newborn transition to life after birth, monitor for medical problems and provide treatment if necessary, paving the way for a healthy start to life.

Immediately after birth, skin-to-skin contact with your baby is encouraged to start the bonding process. Research shows this contact also improves breastfeeding for mother and baby. The first hour after birth is often referred to as “the golden hour,” and your doctors and nurses will do their best to limit interactions during this time. If your baby has any trouble transitioning to life outside of the womb, we have a pediatric and neonatology team as well as our NICU immediately available.

Your baby’s care while in the hospital may include complete physical exams, breastfeeding assessment and support, daily assessment by an attending pediatrician and care team, management of common newborn conditions such as weight loss and jaundice, screening for critical congenital heart defects prior to discharge and administration of recommended vaccines.

Deciding who will care for your baby in his or her first days of life is important. We have a team of expert pediatricians and pediatric providers available.

Providers

Our providers are here to help guide you through pregnancy, childbirth and the first few months of your baby’s life.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

If your baby is born prematurely (28 weeks gestation or older) or with a medical condition that requires specialized attention, our neonatal specialists are ready to provide an advanced level of care for your newborn in an environment that is specially designed to nurture development and growth. Yuma Regional’s 20-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is licensed as a Level III NICU, which means we are trained and equipped to care for the smallest and most medically-challenged newborn babies.

Our team approach provides the best possible care for newborns who need special medical attention such as breathing assistance and nutritional support. Your baby’s care team may include neonatologists (newborn intensive care specialists), registered nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers, case managers, speech therapists and physical therapists. Lactation consultants are also available to help with successful breastfeeding. Babies in the NICU can also receive a special human milk-based formula designed specifically for premature infants and donated by new moms with excess milk supply. This important nutritional support is provided through our partnership with Prolacta.

Babies who are delivered at 30 weeks or less are assessed and screened for Retinopathy of Prematurity, a retina disease that can develop in premature babies. If identified, an ophthalmologist will regularly monitor your baby’s condition and provide any necessary treatments.

Our neonatal team works closely with you and your family while your baby is in the NICU. You will receive regular progress updates as well as specific recommendations based on your baby’s age and developmental needs. Yuma Regional’s Spiritual Care staff is also available to offer emotional and spiritual support.

Breastfeeding Support

As a new mother, your decision to breastfeed is a healthy choice for your baby. But the process of breastfeeding is sometimes challenging. Our support services help you breastfeed successfully and include access to lactation consultants — registered nurses who are dedicated to making breastfeeding a positive and rewarding experience for moms and babies.

  • Breastfeeding Class – This two-hour class, taught by a lactation consultant and designed to be taken before your baby is born, covers the techniques of successful breastfeeding. For more information or to register, call 928-336-1228.
  • Inpatient Support – After your baby is born, a lactation consultant is available seven days a week during your hospital stay to assist you and your baby with breastfeeding.
  • Outpatient Support – After going home, new moms who are experiencing challenges with breastfeeding can call 928-336-1228 to make an appointment with one of our lactation consultants.
  • Breastfeeding Warm Line – It is natural for mothers who have just begun breastfeeding to have questions along the way. To speak to a lactation consultant, call 928-336-1228 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or leave a message after hours.
  • Breast Milk Donor Program – To help babies in NICU grow and thrive, critically ill and premature babies are sometimes given crucial nourishment from our donor milk program.

Milk Donor Program

Critically ill and premature babies in our NICU may benefit from crucial nourishment via our donor milk program. These babies may not have a sufficient amount of mother’s milk available to them. Breast milk is easily digested by babies and provides optimum nutrition. It protects against allergies, illness and infections and contains substances that benefit your baby’s immune system.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the use of human milk – mother’s own or pasteurized donor milk if mom’s own milk is not available – for preterm infants. Our NICU team works with Prolacta Bioscience® to provide 100% human milk nutritional products for our NICU babies.

If you are a nursing mother with more milk than your baby needs, you can help babies receive this important nutritional boost. By donating your excess breast milk, you can help fragile babies who truly are fighting for their lives. Prolacta offers a network of milk banks where the donor can either receive direct compensation for milk donations or choose to have a charitable contribution made on her behalf. You may sign up to donate today.