Delivering Top-Notch Care

From Advanced Obstetrics to a State-of-the-Art NICU, Williamson Health Delivers Exceptional Care for Mothers & Babies

When Carla Rios was counting down the days until the birth of her first child, she tried to plan for everything—but the one thing she didn’t plan on was an emergency C-section.

“It was a very scary situation,” Carla said. “Dr. McManigle (D.O. and neonatologist) and the nurse practitioner from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) came in and explained to me [before the birth] what was going to happen and why, and they were there for me through every step of the process.”

Rios’ son was born at thirty-two weeks and spent three weeks in the NICU, which providers from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital Vanderbilt at Williamson Medical Center oversee, before coming home in early October. According to the March of Dimes, one in ten babies in the U.S. is born preterm each year.

As we mark National Prematurity Month this November, learn how Williamson Medical Center’s Obstetrics and NICU—part of the now-completed Boyer-Bryan West Tower expansion—stand ready to support Williamson County’s smallest residents and their families.

Award-Winning Care

Williamson Medical Center, the flagship hospital of Williamson Health, is consistently recognized for excellence in women’s services and maternal care. It was recently named among America’s Best Maternity Hospitals by Newsweek and received the 2025 Women’s Choice Award for Obstetrics and Women’s Services. With a full-time neonatologist always on hand, neonatal advanced practice providers and specially trained nurses, Williamson Medical Center’s NICU provides expert care until babies are ready to go home.

Caring & Compassionate Staff

Learning your newborn needs NICU care can be overwhelming, but families at Williamson Medical Center are never alone. The NICU team walks parents through every step, offering education, updates and reassurance so parents can focus on bonding with their baby.

Knowing what to expect allows new parents to enjoy their baby’s first moments without fear and anxiety.

Conducive to Family Bonding

Parents are encouraged to visit frequently, especially during care times, so they can bond, feed and care for their child. The NICU features nine private bays with advanced monitoring systems, allowing staff to track vital signs remotely while giving families private time.

Each bay includes a GE Giraffe OmniBed carestation that functions as an incubator, providing controlled thermal environments, humidity control and accessible tops for nursing and family interaction. Mothers also have access to mini-fridges to store pumped breast milk.

Before discharge, families can spend the night together in the NICU family room, a quiet, home-like space—without monitors, but with 24/7 access to nurses—to help parents prepare for going home.

Focused on Your Baby’s Health & Safety

Because the NICU cares for some of the hospital’s most vulnerable patients, strict safety protocols are in place. Parents and providers must scrub in and wear a gown before entering. The unit also remains locked at all times and is monitored by security cameras inside and out, ensuring a safe environment for every baby.

Rios, who lives in Nashville, chose to give birth at Williamson Medical Center because of the warm, family-focused environment.

“You’re entrusting someone with your baby, the most important person in your life,” Rios said. “When you have to be separated from your baby, it’s such a relief to know that he’s in the best hands he can be.”

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Tours of Williamson Health’s award-winning OB unit are offered every Sunday at 2pm beginning in the Boyer-Bryan West Tower lobby. Learn more at williamsonhealth.org/OB.