Madame Recht, their nurse, occasionally wowed the crowds with a special trick: placing her diamond ring around a baby’s wrist. Nagaraj says.Tourists strolling along the Coney Island boardwalk in the summertime, circa 1920, would have heard the barkers beckoning: “Don’t forget to see the babies!” Those that heeded the call, perhaps after enjoying a hot dog or a ride on the Cyclone, paid a quarter and stepped into a room where the tiniest of infants, weighing two or three pounds each, were on display in individual incubators. Ask your NICU staff for recommendations on ways to cope with the challenges faced in the NICU, such as books or support groups,” Dr. Our NICU team members try their best to ease fears and make the parents’ journey as smooth as possible. “Having a child in the NICU is very stressful for the parents due to the uncertainty, worry and stress about the well-being of the child. Nagaraj wants you to know you’re not alone. If you find yourself in the NICU with your little one, Dr. There are certain cardiac conditions that also present after three days of life, which need admission to the NICU,” Dr. Usually, the most common reasons for readmission after going home are late onset infection/sepsis, jaundice and poor weight gain. “Babies born without complications usually go home in 48-72 hours. Nagaraj also says even if labor and delivery go well, there are circumstances where babies can be admitted to the NICU shortly after leaving the hospital. “The general rule is if a baby has been stable – not needing oxygen, eating all feeds orally and otherwise stable – for 48 hours, they are discharged home with close follow up.”ĭr. “It’s hard to predict the average length of NICU stay, as it depends upon a multitude of factors,” Dr. In babies born to moms who have risk factors in pregnancy, like diabetes, high blood pressure or history of drug use, additional testing is required. Nagaraj says care teams assess infants to make sure their temperature, heart rate, breathing and color are within normal limits. Baby is immediately admitted to the NICU after birth and started on antibiotics for at least 48 hours before being discharged to home.Ĭriteria to Determine If Baby Needs NICU CareĪfter birth, Dr. The mother usually has a fever, with increase in heart rate and uterine tenderness. Maternal chorioamnionitis is an infection and inflammation of the placenta, and/or the umbilical cord, before or during labor, and this puts the baby at a very high risk for an infection. One reason a baby might be sent to the NICU actually involves the mom’s health. Doctors treat babies born with perinatal depression with whole body cooling, a new method of decreasing brain injury to the infant, due to the decreased blood flow. Traumatic delivery, or problems during delivery, can lead to decreased blood flow and oxygen to the baby. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is usually seen in premature infants, infants born to a mom with gestational diabetes or infants who have an infection. Antibiotics may be used for a set period of time, based on signs of infection and laboratory values. The earlier a baby is delivered, the more likely the baby is to have an infection, as the immune system can’t fight it off. Infections are more common in premature infants when compared to full-term infants. Sepsis or infection is the most common reason for neonatal death and poor outcomes. Severe cases are treated with a breathing tube, as well as placing the baby on a ventilator. Mild cases can be treated by using a machine that pushes oxygen to the baby through a mask. RDS is the most common respiratory problem in infants because of immature lungs. Higher caloric food is given to these delicate patients, along with IV hydration and other evidence-based therapies. These babies need to remain in a controlled, enclosed environment known as an isolette or incubator, which provides heat to keep a constant body temperature and mimics the uterine environment. They can’t control their body temperature and often have excessive weight loss and unstable vital signs, which all affect long-term neurological outcome. Premature babies aren’t quite physically and developmentally developed and are unable to transition to the outside environment as well as full-term babies. Babies born early (less than 37 completed weeks) is the most common reason for a NICU admission. Reasons Why Your Baby Might Be Sent to the NICU But, as Pankaj Nagaraj, MD, UnityPoint Health, explains, there are several reasons why preterm and term babies are admitted to the NICU. When having a baby, parents don’t like to imagine their child needing to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
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