A Tour of the NICU

Everything You Need to Know About the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

By Katherine Bontrager

The nursery may be perfectly prepped; the prenatal classes passed with flying colors; the bags already packed. But all the planning in the world seldom prepares parents for the shock of having their newborn whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). It's nothing you want to plan for because it's something you don't ever want to experience. But a little bit of awareness can stem a whole lot of fear and panic.

What can parents expect when their child is admitted into the NICU?

"To be overwhelmed," says Katie Smith, a registered nurse and unit director of the NICU at Magee-Women's Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "A large percentage of infants in a NICU are born at full-term, so those parents are blindsided when their infant is admitted into the NICU. And even a mother who knows she may deliver prematurely can't really adequately prepare herself for the experience."

"Despite parental counseling regarding an impending high-risk infant, it's never the same as having your own baby in the NICU," says Dr. Sherin Devaskar, executive vice chair of pediatrics at the Mattel Children's Hospital, UCLA. "Guided tours before the birth of a high-risk infant may help but never alleviate the experience when a baby actually enters the NICU."

Knowing a little something about this new world you might encounter can help minimize some of the shock, though. As soon as the baby's been delivered, things will go into high gear.

Immediately after delivery, the baby will be placed on a warming bed and hooked up to a monitor, says Marnita Wade, nurse manager of neonatal services at MCG Children's Medical Center in Augusta, Ga. "The baby may need help breathing so may have oxygen or be on a ventilator, depending on why the baby was admitted to the NICU. Since the mom may have to stay in labor and delivery, many NICUs will encourage a support person (like a grandmother) to accompany the baby to the NICU, where the physician or nurse will briefly explain the admission process and answer questions. Once the baby has been assessed, labs drawn, lines placed and the initial plan decided upon, the neonatologist will go to labor and delivery and give the parents an update."

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