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NICU Discharge Planning

The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is the hospital department where premature or sick babies are cared for after birth. At first, the sights and sounds of the NICU can be rather intimidating to parents. Soon, though, the monitors and constant care can become reassuring. During the NICU stay, most parents are continually thinking about when their baby will be discharged so that they can go home and resume a normal life. Leaving the hospital is an exciting time, but it can also be worrisome to leave behind the continual medical support that the NICU offers.

  1. Discharge Orders

    • Discharge requirements vary from hospital to hospital. Most agree, however, that babies must be able to properly maintain their own temperature, to consume nutrition either through breastfeeding or bottle-feeding and to maintain steady weight gain. In addition, most hospitals require that babies have been free of apnea spells for a week or more. Sometimes hospitals prefer to care for babies until they reach their actual due date, but other hospitals allow babies to go home much earlier once they have reached a healthy weight of 4 or 5 pounds. Prior to being completely discharged from the hospital, most babies will be moved to a regular nursery for a time to see how well they do without all the extra support offered in the NICU setting.

    Baby Safety Issues

    • Before babies are discharged from the hospital, caregivers will be instructed on baby safety issues. The caregivers will usually be asked to bring in their car seat to insure safe travel. Also, caregivers will be instructed about proper sleep safety, which involves putting a baby on his or her back always to prevent suffocation. Also, caregivers will be required to attend an infant CPR class so that they will be prepared to handle any emergencies. Some babies may be discharged while still needed monitors or other equipment. Caregivers will be trained on this equipment prior to discharge.

    Resources

    • Most hospitals will provide parents a list of services that are available to them. Such services may include early intervention programs, physical therapy, speech therapy, support groups and various social services. The parents will also be advised to schedule an appointment with a pediatrician of their choice within a few days of arriving at their home. Also, other appointments may be scheduled with specialists if any health problems require further care.

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