Parents often want to know when they can take their preemie home from the NICU.
Babies will usually stay in the NICU until about the time they were originally due to be born, but some babies will have shorter NICU stays, and other babies will need to be in the NICU for much longer.
Before your baby is ready to go home, these milestones much be reached:
•Graduation to a crib: your baby must be able to maintain his body temperature in a regular crib.
•Consistent breathing and heart rate: your baby must be able to breathe on his own not have periods of apnea (not breathing) or bradycardia (too slow of a heart rate).
•Feeding and gaining weight: your baby must be able to take all of his feedings orally, and be taking in enough calories to gain weight, either by breastfeeding or bottle fed.
•Parent Skills: before you go home with your baby, NICU staff will help you learn skills to take care of your baby. These skills are: basic baby care, feeding, giving medication, using home equipment, CPR class, and fitting your baby in your car seat.
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