Health experts say about one in 10 babies are born premature and have to receive special care immediately after birth.

One Rio Grande Valley hospital is raising awareness on how they treat these tiny patients.

Right now, there are 15 babies in the NICU center at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Brownsville; that's up from three babies last week.

Valley Baptist Brownsville Director of Women's Services Miriam Longoria says they see a lot of moms who come in with limited prenatal care. She says babies whose mom don't receive prenatal care often end up in the NICU.

Diabetes and obesity rates are high in the Valley, adding to birth complications.

Longoria says many babies who are born to diabetic patients end up in the NICU.

"Diabetic mothers, once they deliver, babies come out really big with our diabetic moms, and you'd think because they're big that baby's going to do great, but that's not always the case. Babies tend to struggle to regulate their insulin outside of moms. So we actually do see quite a few diabetic babies in our NICU," Longoria said.

She says last year the hospital helped deliver over 2,000 babies in Brownsville. Out of those babies born, 13 percent of them were admitted to the NICU.

"Sometimes those lungs just aren't ready to do what they need to do once a baby is outside a mom and can't rely on mom to survive, so they need a little extra assistance. That's probably the biggest thing that we see is respiratory distress," Longoria said.

Longoria says babies can stay in the NICU for several weeks and sometimes even months. Doctors say it can be a traumatic experience for parents.

Longoria says the best way to reduce the risk of having a premature birth is making sure to keep up with prenatal care. Doctors can also run genetic tests to find any problems before your baby is born.