Newborn babies make several adjustments (physically) once they leave the mother’s womb. While they are inside the womb, they rely on the mother’s blood supply from placenta (a temporary organ that connects the developing fetus and provides oxygen & nutrients to the fetus). However, that’s no longer the case once they are delivered out.

Thus, the babies that need intensive medical care are put in the dedicated neonatal ICU units. Each of these specialized NICU units is equipped with advanced technology and have trained and well-experienced professional doctors to assist and provide special care to these little ones. NICUs are designed not only to take care of the sick babies but even those that require specialized nursing care.

It’s always better to get your child get delivered at the hospital with any NICU facility in case of any complications in a delivery you can rest assured of proper medical care in case something goes wrong with your newborn child. Moving them out of the hospital is always riskier and must be done with extreme caution.

Every newborn is different from each other, and hence, the healthcare professionals must assess their symptoms, physical health, etc. to determine if the baby needs NICU care or not. The following factors (listed below) can place your baby at a higher risk and increase their chances of being admitted to the NICU.

The factors include:

• You have multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, etc.)
• Excess or lack of amniotic fluid (a protective fluid that safeguards the fetus)
• Premature rupture of membranes (amniotic sac)
• Emergency Cesarean delivery
• Lack of oxygen changed baby’s organ systems (a condition called as birth asphyxia)
• Premature baby
• Anamolies defected during pregnancy scans
• Elderly mother
• Mother with associated medical complications like thyroid, diabetes, etc
• Any high risk pregnancy

In a general scenario, babies usually discharge out from the NICU within 48- 72 hours depending on their critical condition . However, they are readmitted in case they show signs of an infection, jaundice, poor weight gain, or any other health ailment.