‘A fighting chance’: 36 years of saving tiny lives at Hillcrest NICU

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - For more than three decades, Central Texas families facing critical, unexpected complications after childbirth have found a fighting chance right here at home.

September marks Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Awareness Month, and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Hillcrest marks 36 years of providing specialized, life-saving care to the community’s tiniest and most vulnerable patients.

Dr. Darrell Wheeler, a neonatologist who has been with Hillcrest’s NICU since it first opened 36 years ago, has witnessed firsthand how medical innovations have transformed outcomes for premature infants.

Decades ago, doctors faced steep challenges saving babies born at 25 weeks.

Today, advances in treatment—including specialized steroids and synchronized, high-frequency ventilators—allow medical teams to care for infants born as early as 22 weeks.

Equipped with 28 beds, the unit cares for approximately 400 babies every year, treating both premature infants and full-term babies with unexpected medical needs.

“Reasons a baby would be up here would be if it’s born early, they have breathing problems,” Dr. Wheeler said. “If it’s a term baby, sometimes they have breathing problems or may even have an infection, and so we treat for infection, we treat their breathing problems. For the little tiny preemies, they can be down to one pound, so they have to obviously learn how to eat and gain weight and learn how to breathe.”

Beyond the technology, hospital staff emphasize that having a comprehensive NICU locally provides immense relief to families navigating an already overwhelming medical crisis.

“When you’re going through a horrible situation in your life, to add driving two hours to go visit your baby instead of 10 or 20 minutes is a huge stress on parents,” Dr. Wheeler explained. “Being away from their family and staying with the baby in another city versus being able to take care of your whole family.”

Catch more on this story today on Midday Xtra at 12:45 p.m., where Julie Hays and Olivea Herzberg will sit down with a NICU healthcare worker who shares her perspective.