Medical care for mothers and their premature babies

Some parents know that their baby will be born prematurely. Others are surprised when they give birth early.

Whether you know about the intensive care unit beforehand or not, you will know it quickly because your child is taken care of there.

They will be in the safe hands of doctors, nurses, and today in most hospitals and you.

Baby doctors

You may have never heard of neonatologists before. These are pediatricians who specialize in the treatment of newborns and premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Not all babies in neonatal intensive care units visit a neonatologist. Some smaller hospitals only have pediatricians. Others may have both. Both types of doctors have many years of experience in timely and early childbirth.

Nurses and more

Many healthcare professionals treat infants in neonatal intensive care units:

Nurses and nurse practitioners spend the most time caring for premature babies.
If your newborn needs medicine, they'll get it from a pharmacist.
If they have trouble breathing, they'll see a respiratory therapist.
Speech-language therapists help premature babies with feeding problems. They're experts on mouths and swallowing.
Pediatric hospitalists are doctors who work solely in hospitals.
At teaching hospitals, you may meet fellows, residents, and medical students who are getting neonatology training at different stages of their careers.

Parents play a role

Most hospitals allow you to care for your premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit for as long as you can, at your convenience. Doctors and nurses will answer questions and may allow you to be present while your baby is being cared for.

The nurses will teach you how to feed your baby, change diapers, keep him warm, and perform other tasks to help him get stronger.

In many neonatal intensive care units, mothers and fathers provide physical care for premature babies. You can hear them talking about caring for kangaroos. You lay your baby on your bare chest, which helps him stay warm, breathe better, and sleep better. Some babies sleep on the skin of their parents. Others simply enjoy close contact.

Common problems

You will see many machines and monitors in the neonatal intensive care unit. Doctors and nurses use them to monitor the child and help him become stronger. They may need help:

Body temperature: Some babies are too small to warm themselves. They are placed in convenient incubators to keep their temperature high, which helps them grow faster.
Breathing: Your child may need a breathing apparatus or oxygen.
Nutrition: Breast milk helps premature babies grow and fight infection. nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit will show you how to use the pump. If you cannot, your baby can receive donor breast milk.
Jaundice: Some newborns turn yellow because their liver cannot remove a compound called bilirubin from the blood. Exposure to bright light can solve this problem.

Going home

Each baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit at different times. The doctors and nurses will tell you what developmental milestones your child needs to reach before you can take them home. Often they breathe on their own or stay warm outside the incubator.

When you care for premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, you are well equipped to care for them at home.