ST. GEORGE — Lucille Urquhart's arrival into this world shocked her parents, who already were blessed with three other children under the age of 5.

Her birthday just wasn't the joyous, exciting event that Steve and Sara Urquhart had come to expect.

"She was due in April and came in December," said Sara. "She weighed just over a pound. It was insane."

Now 6 1/2 years old, Lucy is "just perfect." But her first four months of life were spent in a Salt lake City hospital under specialized care not available in St. George at the time.

"It was horrible. Once a week we would drive up to Salt Lake City and spend 24 hours with her. We couldn't hold her or take care of her," said Sara. "And we had three other kids at home that needed me, too. It sounds awful, but I had to prioritize."

Other families can tell a different story today, now that Dixie Regional Medical Center has opened a Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Less than a year ago, infants born more than eight weeks premature were flown to hospitals on the Wasatch Front or in Las Vegas or Phoenix.

Since neonatologists Dr. Larry Eggert and Dr. Lonnie Miner arrived last year, DRMC has been able to keep infants born up to 10 weeks premature. With the opening of the hospital's NICU, babies born up to 12 weeks early will be cared for here. The target goal is to be able to keep babies up to 17 weeks premature, which could happen before the end of the year, according to DRMC.

"The trend in newborn intensive care, as much as possible, is to support premature babies and their families," said Eggert, director of DRMC's Newborn Clinical Program and head of the program throughout Intermountain Health Care. "Thirty years ago, it was all about crisis management."

Eleven private NICU rooms will allow parents to nurture their premature infants in a peaceful setting. New moms can work on breast-feeding, and families can begin to create the bonds that are important in the life of an infant, Eggert said.

"Parents are usually in shock for the first few days. Their first question is usually, 'Will my baby die?' The answer is almost always, 'No,' " Eggert said. "The second question is, 'When can I take my baby home?' "

Parents of fragile preemies can typically take their infants home around their actual due date, although Eggert said he hopes to reunite families two or three weeks before that magic date.

"Once we get them through the first week or two crisis period, the rest of the time we're dealing with issues of growth," Eggert said. "One of the most important goals is to work toward a mother breast-feeding her baby. . . . For premature infants it's very important."