NICU Basics

Welcome to the NICU:

This is a 12 page resource on everything NICU for the newcomer. Whether you knew you'd be in the NICU, or it took you by total surprise, here you'll find the basics:

• Tips for Parents
• How to Care for Yourself
• Admission: What Happens First?
• Breaking down why you can't hold your baby right away
• Visitation & Wristbands
• Care Times & How to Be Involved
• Skin-to-skin holding
• Tests & Procedures (just a few of the basics)
• Your Care Team
• Questions to ask during rounds
• When Baby Can Start Feeding
• Bottles in the NICU
• Respiratory Needs Explained
• Monitoring Readiness for Discharge
• Discharge Planning

You can't possibly know what your NICU experience will be like until you live it, but this guide can help take away some fear of the unknown and better prepare you for some simple expectations for a highly emotional and stressful unit.

Common Terms in the NICU:

This resource is to help you better understand the NICU lingo and advocate for your baby by breaking down basic terms you'll hear almost daily as well as how to read the monitor so you know when to actually panic.