How to take care for your baby after NICU ?

You could experience a range of emotions. It’s acceptable to be anxious about raising your child at home. Ask your baby’s healthcare practitioner any questions you may have regarding their care or health. Visit all of your child’s well-child appointments. In her own cot or bassinet, your baby should always be placed on her back to sleep. Keep toys and blankets away from the cot. Avoid sharing a bed with your infant. If you require child care for your infant, confirm that the childcare provider can address any potential medical requirements. Before enrolling in child care, discuss the immunizations and treatments your infant requires with their doctor. 

What emotions should you anticipate when your child is discharged from the NICU?

After spending time in the newborn critical care unit, it can be challenging to adjust to being at home with your infant (also called NICU). You and your spouse could feel quite differently about raising your child away from the hospital. You could feel, for instance: 

• Excited to bring your infant home
• Worried that your infant may become unwell once more
• Uncomfortable leaving your infant in the hands of others or going out in public with her.
• Although relieved to avoid the hospital, it is lonely at home.
• Nobody is aware of how difficult this has been for you.
• You feel different after being in the NICU, and you mourn your previous life.
• Sad and guilty because your newborn was in the NICU 

It’s acceptable to have a wide range of opinions and sentiments towards raising your child at home.  There’s a chance that your spouse feels something different from you. And as you gain knowledge about your infant and how to care for her, your emotions could also alter. Your entire family will be traveling together. 

You can do the following things to help you get used to living at home with your child:

Call your baby’s caregiver if you have any queries regarding your child or their care. It’s acceptable to call and inquire. Attend all of your child’s well-baby appointments. These visits allow your baby’s doctor to assess your child’s health and growth to make sure everything is proceeding well outside of the NICU. You may feel more at ease and certain about raising your child at home if you are aware that your infant is healthy. Even if you believe your child is well, take him to all of his well-baby appointments. Do not skip these appointments if your infant needs particular care due to a medical problem.

Request assistance from friends, family, and neighbors for your house. Clearly explain to them what you want them to do. Tell them, for instance, if you need assistance with the washing, doing errands, or looking after your other kids. 

To connect with other families who are taking care of a newborn during and after a NICU  stay, go to shareyourstory.org. 

What can you do at home to keep your infant healthy? 

After your baby has been in the NICU, you are free to host visitors and take them outside. However,  infants who spend time in the NICU are more likely to get infections than infants who do not.  Therefore, take additional precautions to keep your infant healthy while she develops her immune system, especially during the cold and flu season. Her immune system aids in defending her against illnesses. 

What you can do to support your baby’s health?

Listed below:

• Keep visitors to a minimum at your house.
• Before interacting with your infant, ask guests to wash their hands.
• Keep smoking visitors away from your infant and your house.
• Keep sick guests away from your kid, including those with fevers and those who may have been exposed to diseases.
• To stop the transmission of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (commonly known as whooping cough) to your infant, request that every adult who may come into contact with them have the Tdap immunization.
• For a newborn, these illnesses can be hazardous.
• Try to avoid bringing your infant to busy locations like supermarkets and shopping malls.

How can you ensure that your kid is secure while he sleeps? 

Safe sleep refers to putting your baby to sleep in a manner that can assist safeguard him against risks such as choking, suffocation (not being able to breathe), and SIDS (also called SIDS). The untimely death of an infant under the age of one is known as SIDS. SIDS frequently occur when a baby is asleep. Because the infant frequently passes away in his cot, it is commonly known as crib death. 

Once your baby has returned home from the NICU, adhere to the same rules that ensure a  newborn’s sleep is secure. These consist of: 

• Sleeping your infant on his back
• Placing your infant in his own cot or bassinet at night not putting your infant to bed with you 

How can you locate childcare for your infant? 

You might need to locate childcare for your infant if you plan to return to work or school. There are several possibilities for child care. However, not all daycare centers are equipped to care for infants with special needs. To assist you in locating child care for your child:

Consult your baby’s doctor about selecting a childcare facility. Inquire if she can suggest a medical professional who has expertise in taking care of infants with special needs. 

• Find childcare recommendations from the NICU team.
• Look up daycare facilities that accept infants with special needs online.
• Find out if the price of your baby’s in-home nursing care is covered by your health insurance. 

NICU infants are more susceptible to illness when near infants, kids, or adults. If you leave your  infant in a day-care facility, check that the staff abides by the following guidelines: 

Before handling infants or children, caregivers must wash their hands. After changing diapers, handling used tissues, and using the restroom, caregivers must wash their hands. 

Babies and kids who are ill cannot go to childcare. There are guidelines for when ill children can return to daycare in childcare facilities. A kid with a fever or illness, for instance, could not be permitted to return to the center until he has been symptom-free or has taken antibiotics for 24 hours. 

Allow the childcare provider to spend some time with you and your infant before returning to work or school if they are coming to your home to look after your youngster. This provides her time to discover the best ways to look after her child and allows her child to get used to the caregiver. 

Before commencing child care, does your kid require any immunizations or other treatments? 

Yes, make sure your child has all of her shots before letting her go to daycare. Your infant can be protected from several illnesses with vaccinations. To find out if your child requires vaccines, contact your baby’s doctor by phone. Or you may look at the vaccine schedule. 

Consult your baby’s doctor on the best way to prevent the respiratory syncytial virus in your child  (also called RSV). The RSV virus commonly affects the lungs and respiration. Your infant may require medication to help prevent RSV if he is at high risk for developing severe RSV. Premature infants,  infants with lung or heart abnormalities, and infants with various chronic (long-term) medical illnesses are among the neonates at high risk.