What is it like in the NICU?

[Justagirlxx]

I'm not sure where to ask this question. There is a good chance that my baby is going to have to be in the NICU for awhile after he is born. I'm just so scared of what it will be like. Will I be able to hold him or will they take him right away from me and rush him to the NICU?

I'm scared he won't be okay. I love him so much. I dont want to be away from him even for a second. The reason is because of some medication that I am on that I have to take, he might experience NAS (Neo-natal abstinence syndrome) because of it. The doctor said its possible he will need to stay at the hospital for up to 4 weeks, and that they definitely will need to monitor him for atleast a few days after he is born.

I love my baby so much and feel such a strong bond to him already. I hope he doesn't have to stay in the NICU at all, but this is probably being unrealistic.

 

[diane60f]

from my experience the NICU was not a scary or cold place but the opposite. We were able to hold our son after he stabilized and had skin to skin contact.. And even breastfed! The nurses are very sensitive and lovvve
Their jobs. They are also required more schooling so they know what they are doing which made it easier on me and dh. Best wishes to u and baby!

 

[AP]

We spent 12 weeks there hun. They are sensitive!
It can at first be noisy to you-alarmsand noises of the machines. The machines can look dauntng too, but realistically everything in there does something so simple.

Can you get a tour round the nicu?

nicu is not as bad as you think hun x

ps. everyone in theprem section has been in nicu, you might want to post there x

 

[Faerie]

sb22 is right, I think the noise was what surprised me the most. Apart from that it wasn't really that scary, and like you I'd known that my baby would be in NICU, in some ways I think we are "lucky" because it does give you time to prepare.

I was able to pick my baby the day after her operation. It was a bit daunting holding her with so many wires but we soon got used to it. The nurses were all lovely. Good luck x

 

[beancounter]

I was going to suggest a tour too. It's not as bad as I thought it would be, I was allowed down there whenever I wanted (unless they were doing rounds or procedures) and changed his nappies and later fed him too. It is quite noisy and alarms go off a lot and your baby will get a hearing test when they leave. But the staff were lovely!

 

[calais]

My son was only in for 9hrs to regulate his temperature. All the beeping of the machines freaked me out a little because i didnt know what any of them meant. I also found it difficult to see my son crying and i couldnt just grab him out.
But as i said, he was only in there for 9hrs so i cant say it was bad. But they do a great job in there and i found all the nurses lovely except one.

 

[mumto5]

my experiences of NICU are positive too my son and my daughter were both in for 2 weeks after they were born. the machine alarms are abit daunting when they go off. I suggest you ask if theres a tour that you could go on to prepare yourself a bit?

 

[Alias]

My daughter spent 2 weeks in NICU and Special Care. It depends on the circumstances that have caused the baby to be there, but if they are breathing well and temperature regulating then they probably won't be in an incubator. In my hospital we were encouraged to spend time there, and to change and feed her when we visited. It was noisy, but she slept through it all.

I did find it hard for the first few days as I'd had a very hard birth experience (crash section under GA at 35 weeks, lots of blood loss and transfusions), and mentally wasn't prepared for the idea of her not being 'perfect'. I felt to blame for her being there, but after my hormones regulated a bit sanity returned and it was much easier. Also I don't think I felt a proper bond with her until we had her home a few days. Again I think that was partly due to the birth, and I didn't get to see her for the first day (due to my own issues, not hers).

You've got time to mentally prepare for any issues, and I think that will be a big help if any of them happen. But don't dwell on them either, because it can drive you crazy. Easier said than done, but you've got to be positive, and still realistic. Good luck!

 

[keldac]

I definitley would not say I was 'lucky' to have a baby in NICU like one of the others suggested. For me it was the most stressful time of my life. To be told when you can hold your baby or how long for by somebody else was horrendous for me.
I do not mean to scare you but I don't want you to go in thinking its all roses. It depends if your baby is very sick or not. In Special Care the babies tend to be less poorly. In NICU (Intensive care) the babies are usually very poorly and less contact was allowed.
I have been through NICU HDU and SCBU - twice. I had both good and dire outcomes at the end of each.

I hope you do not have to spend any time there as it is much nicer to be in a ward with flowers (not allowed in SCBU) and family (not always allowed inSCBU)

If you are there - I hope it is for a very short stay

 

[Faerie]

I definitley would not say I was 'lucky' to have a baby in NICU like one of the others suggested. For me it was the most stressful time of my life. To be told when you can hold your baby or how long for by somebody else was horrendous for me.
I do not mean to scare you but I don't want you to go in thinking its all roses. It depends if your baby is very sick or not. In Special Care the babies tend to be less poorly. In NICU (Intensive care) the babies are usually very poorly and less contact was allowed.
I have been through NICU HDU and SCBU - twice. I had both good and dire outcomes at the end of each.

I hope you do not have to spend any time there as it is much nicer to be in a ward with flowers (not allowed in SCBU) and family (not always allowed inSCBU)

If you are there - I hope it is for a very short stay

Believe me I wasn't saying we were lucky to have babies in NICU! I said I was "lucky" to have had time to prepare, having your baby in hospital is not something I'd wish on anyone, but I always felt bad for the parents who came through not having a clue that's where they'd be ending up. At least I had 6 months to prepare, as much as is possible.

 

[Cazzyg]

If you can, then try to get to visit the unit before you deliver. That way you are prepared and familar with the unit, the rules and so on. You will know what to expect and be able to prepare.

NICU is a rollercoaster ride, and every baby's journey is different. It's noisy, busy and scary, especially when you don't know what all the beeps and alarms are. However all the staff I met were fantastic and I found it quite a supportive environment.