NICU - Guest Blog

NICU - Guest Blog

When it comes to the birth of a baby, most moms will agree that things did not go the way that they were expecting.   Maybe the baby was born two weeks early while the father was on a business trip. Or perhaps, the baby decided to enter this world in the front seat of your pick-up truck while on the way to the hospital. Every birth story is unique, and most mothers are more than eager to share every detail of the birth story with anyone who will listen.  Unfortunately, for some parents, their unexpected birth story includes a detour into the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). 

According to Dartmouth Institute for Health, approximately 78 infants out of 1,000 are admitted into the NICU (JAMA, 2015).  Some NICU’s have the capability to admit babies 23 weeks gestation and above. Those babies are considered micro-preemies and are usually quite ill. They will require intensive care by a multi-disciplinary team of NICU nurses, Neonatologist, Neonatal Nurse Practitioners, Nutritionists, Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists.  Thankfully, most babies admitted into the NICU are not micro-preemies. In fact, babies are admitted into the NICU for a variety of reasons, including; respiratory distress, blood sugar instability, infection, feeding problems, and low birth weight.  Whatever the reason, an admission into the NICU can be a scary time for the parents…

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K is for Kangaroo Care

K is for Kangaroo Care

Kangaroo Care is just another way of saying skin-to-skin contact.  It is called kangaroo care due to the similarities it has to a mother kangaroo carrying her baby joey in her pouch.  This doesn’t mean you are both naked.  You or your partner are simply topless and your baby will still be in a diaper.  You can then wear a robe or jacket, or wrap a blanket around your both to stay warm.  When your baby is a bit older you can even hold them skin-to-skin with a wrap. Kangaroo Care can be one of the best ways to help your preterm baby, and is great for full term babies as well!  When you hold your baby skin-to-skin you help your baby stabilize their heart rate and respiratory rate, improve their oxygen saturation rate, and help them regulate their body temperature.  Helping their body with all of these tasks helps them conserve energy and thus they will be less likely to lose too much weight. Kangaroo care can also help with brain development and immune system function. The benefits are amazing!  Most tests and procedures can be preformed while you hold your baby skin-to-skin…

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