Going Home from the NICU

Tests and Plans

We started planning for your baby’s discharge the day your baby arrived in the NICU. Everything we do is focused toward getting your baby strong enough to go home and be with family.

If your baby was premature, and has reached the gestational age of 36–38 weeks our Neonatologist will evaluate your baby’s condition for discharge. Here are some of the things we take note of in setting a discharge date:

• Your baby maintains body temperature without the warming unit/isolette
• Progression from breastfeeding to bottlefeeding
• Independent breathing (doesn’t need supplemental oxygen)
• How comfortable you are with special care handling and instructions

We’ll perform some medical tests, including blood work. And your baby’s team will confer.

Your NICU team will give you a list of things to bring to the hospital to help get your baby home safely. There are some other things we’ll provide. Please ask and be sure you’re ready. You’ve got a very special baby to handle with care.

Before you take your baby home, we’ll encourage you to do most of the NICU handling by yourself (with our support, of course). We want you to be comfortable and as prepared as possible. We also want you to enjoy time with your baby so it’s important to us that you feel secure.

As always, ask a lot of questions. We’re happy to help.

Room Air Challenge

Prior to discharge, we’ll take a few days to see how your baby responds to breathing without supplemental oxygen.

A Room Air Challenge takes approximately 40 minutes and is closely monitored. Results help your doctor decide when it’s time for your baby to go home and if the use of an at-home pluse-oximetry machine is needed. (A pulse-oximeter is a small machine that continuously measures blood oxygen levels.)

Car Seats

Nevada law mandates that all infants must be protected when traveling in a car. Infants younger that one year old and/or who weigh less than 20 pounds must be placed in a rear facing car seat in the back seat of your car.

Children’s car seats are all too often improperly installed and don’t protect babies. As many as nine out of ten car seats aren’t used in the right way.

Clark County has a “Safe Kids Coalition” which provides information about car seats and offers safety classes. More details can be found at Safe Kids Clark County.

Most NICU babies can go home in a regular infant car seat. But to be sure, we test all NICU babies before they get in their family car. Especially, If your baby is less than 37 weeks gestation or if discharge is with oxygen, we’ll do a car seat study.

What this means is:

• You bring your baby’s car seat to NICU
• We’ll place your baby in the seat
• We’ll monitor your baby
• We’ll take vital signs every 15 minutes
• Your baby’s doctor will receive results and will either approve the car seat you brought or recommend a special seat or bed