HOUSTON – Texas Children’s has completed a more than $200 million expansion of its Pavilion for Women, adding new operating rooms, specialized care units and expanded clinic space designed to care for more high-risk mothers and babies.
The multi-year project, which began in 2021, includes a larger Maternal Fetal Medicine clinic, four dedicated Cesarean-section operating rooms and a new high-risk obstetrics and gynecology unit.
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Hospital leaders said the expansion will allow Texas Children’s to care for more patients with medically complex pregnancies while keeping specialized maternal and newborn services under one roof.
“This expansion reflects our commitment to providing the highest level of care for women with the most complex pregnancies and the babies who depend on us,” said Dr. Michael Belfort, obstetrician and gynecologist-in-chief at Texas Children’s and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine.
The expanded Maternal Fetal Medicine clinic now features 16 exam rooms, two ultrasound rooms and 10 non-stress test bays, increasing capacity for women with high-risk pregnancies.
Texas Children’s says its maternal-fetal medicine program is the largest in the nation, providing care from prenatal diagnosis through delivery and postpartum recovery.
The new high-risk OB/GYN unit is staffed by maternal-fetal medicine specialists, critical care physicians and specially trained nurses. It will care for patients with complex conditions, including maternal heart disease and other serious medical or surgical complications during pregnancy.
The hospital also added four new Cesarean-section operating rooms to increase surgical capacity for women requiring specialized obstetrical care.
The expansion includes several additional improvements across the Pavilion for Women, including:
- Twelve new private neonatal intensive care unit rooms.
- A 16-bed mother-baby unit featuring NICU couplet care rooms, allowing mothers and newborns receiving specialized care to stay together.
- Expanded outpatient women’s health services, including obstetrics, gynecology, physical therapy, reproductive psychiatry and maternal-fetal care.
For Louise Nelson, the hospital’s specialized care proved lifesaving.
After doctors diagnosed her unborn baby with parvovirus, Nelson traveled eight hours to Texas Children’s, where her baby received three intrauterine blood transfusions.
“When I learned my baby was critically ill, we dropped everything and drove eight hours to Texas Children’s because it was our best chance to save her life,” Nelson said. “The care we received from the Maternal Fetal Medicine team gave us hope during the most terrifying time of our lives.”
Texas Children’s says the expansion further strengthens its role as home to the nation’s largest Level IV neonatal intensive care unit and a Level IV maternal care facility, providing the highest level of care for mothers with the most complex pregnancies and critically ill newborns.