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Home › Articles › Preemies › A Tour of the NICU

A Tour of the NICU

Everything You Need to Know About the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

By Katherine Bontrager

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And moms are encouraged to pump so once the little one can safely stomach breast milk, an ample supply will be at the ready. But your body has to be fed and rested to produce milk – just another reason why proper meals and rest are best for you and the baby.

"Mothers can pump their breast milk and it will be fed to the baby once they're developed enough," Anderson says. "Breast milk is important to your baby's health. You're giving them wonderful antibody protection, as they have immature immune systems."

Anderson says a powdered supplement may be added to the milk. "The human milk fortifier increases the caloric content of breast milk and also provides increased calcium and phosphorous intake for improved bone growth," she says.

Most infants aren't ready to bottle feed or successfully breastfeed until they're approximately 34 weeks gestation, she says. "This gradually improves, and depending on the infant's hospital course, most are able to nipple all their feedings at 36 to 37 weeks gestation," Anderson says. "Often this is one of the last accomplishments prior to discharge."

"It's OK to feel overwhelmed, but you can help manage these feelings by using the resources available at the hospital," Wade says. "Ask if they have a 'Parent to Parent' program, or if they have access for you to look up things about your baby via Internet, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Be there when possible during physician rounds, and ask the nurse what you can do to be involved in your baby's care. Sometimes the small things can help both you and your baby. If you need to talk to pastoral care or social work, don't be afraid to speak up. Sometimes we don't always read a situation accurately and may think you are handling everything just fine when you may be crumbling on the inside."

More NICU Tips

To help parents survive the overwhelming world of the NICU, Dr. Sherin Devaskar, executive vice chair of pediatrics at the Mattel Children's Hospital, UCLA, recommends the following:

  • Visit your baby as often as you can, perhaps on a schedule in the morning or evening depending on your other family needs. When you visit, focus on your baby and not on extraneous distractions.
  • Moms can help by pumping breast milk to ensure there's an adequate source when the baby is ready to eat.
  • Parents can hold their baby when he or she is stable to provide the warmth of their own body.
  • Obtain information from one person who knows the plan of care, generally the neonatologist who's in charge of the entire care plan of your baby.
  • Take it one step at a time, remembering that the doctors and nurses cannot tell you everything at one sitting. Information is shared based on the progress of the baby.
  • Rest as much as you can.
  • When it becomes overwhelming, consider seeking psychological help to assist with de-stressing – it's common and can be very helpful.
  • Remember you're not alone. There are parent support groups who can help you in your hour of need.
  • Sometimes it's difficult to predict the outcome, so don't be surprised if the healthcare team says they don't know what to expect. Sometimes hindsight is 20/20 and it may be important to wait to see the course the baby's health will take with the therapy instituted.
  • When things don't go well, despite all attempts by you and the healthcare team, don't forget to hold your baby close and spend as much time as you need. That may be the last thing you'll remember about your baby and help you feel you did everything for your little one.
  • Prayers help not just your baby but you as well. You may find it helpful to rely on your religious leaders to support you through this hard time.
  • Remember that it is a privilege for the healthcare team to take care of your baby – the key word being your baby. No questions from parents are difficult. Every attempt should be made to help alleviate stress so that you can be a parent to your sick baby. A stressed parent can't parent well and this can interfere with the well-being of your baby. So let the NICUs help you with stress control by expressing to them what you're going through.

Need another place to turn? A booklet called "A Little Birdie Told Me..." was made for parents by parents. The concept evolved from the personal experience of Ellen Moore, whose premature daughter stayed in the John Hopkins Children's Center NICU for several months. Printed with the help of the hospital and Moore's employer, Carton Donofrio Partners, the book is beautifully illustrated with watercolors of birds and provides comforting words of advice as well as ideas to make parents' lives easier. For more information, visit www.cartondonofrio.com/nicu.


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