Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)

If your baby is born prematurely or with a serious illness, our hospitals in Bakersfield, Merced, and Stockton have Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) just steps away from our birth centers. Specially trained NICU doctors and nurses use state-of-the-art equipment to care for every need of the tiniest of newborns. Our NICUs provide specialized care for premature babies and embrace parents as a vital part of the health care team.

Visiting your baby in the NICU

You are welcome to visit your baby at any time in the NICU. There are some precautions that must be taken in order to enter the NICU. Our staff will walk you through the necessary steps you'll need to take each time you visit your baby, whether you plan to touch your baby or not.

If you are feeling ill, please let us know. If you display symptoms of coughing, sneezing, runny nose, rash, fever, or have been exposed to a communicable disease, we ask that you do not enter.

The number of visitors to the NICU may be limited on occasion.

How is my baby doing?

If you have any questions regarding your baby's condition, please feel free to ask your baby's nurse. Your nurse is here for you, as well as your baby, and will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Parents are encouraged to call our NICUs at any time of the day or night to ask about their baby.

Memorial Hospital NICU: (661) 541-0357

(You may dial extension 10357 if you are calling from a room within the hospital.)

Mercy Hospital Southwest NICU: (661) 663-6070

(You may dial extension 36070 if you are calling from a room within the hospital.)

Mercy Medical Center (Merced) NICU: (209) 564-5265

St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) NICU: (209) 467-6428

Patient confidentiality laws restrict our ability to release information about the babies in our care to anyone other than the baby's parents.