Overview
Like adults are admitted to ICU for intense medical care, infants are admitted to NICU for the same. After a baby is born, doctors must ensure his optimum health by checking his heart rate, breathing, temperature, weight, etc. If the infant is underweight, delivered prematurely, or has some serious medical issue, he might require admission to a NICU.
There are various medical reasons for which an infant might need admission to NICU. This blog talks about all those reasons in detail.
What is NICU?
NICU that stands for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: is a special ICU for infants. It is a special department or ward in every hospital where infants are admitted for intense care. The NICU has advanced technologies, the latest equipment and health professionals to treat even the critical infant cases. Some babies with no critical medical condition may also require NICU for special nursing care.
It is always better to give birth to a child in a hospital that has NICU. If in case the hospital doesn’t have one, the infant may require shifting to some other hospital.
7 Reasons Why Your Baby May Be Admitted to NICU
Following are some of the reasons for which a baby needs admission to NICU:
1. Premature Birth
Premature Birth of a baby is the first and the most common reason behind admitting him into NICU. A baby is said to be delivered prematurely if he takes birth before completing 37 weeks of pregnancy. Such babies may have low birth weight, unusual body temperature, etc. In such cases, these babies are admitted to NICU for special intensive care.
2. Hypoglycemia
It is a medical condition in which the baby has a low level of sugar in the blood. It is found in many infants and may result in shakiness, breathing problems, blue skin tint, etc. It is mostly seen in babies whose had diabetes or babies with some infection. These babies are admitted for Hypoglycemia treatment.
3. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)
RDS is a medical condition found in babies whose lungs are not properly developed. It is a breathing disorder that causes breathing problems in infants. Such babies are admitted to NICU as they need extra oxygen to help them breathe.
A proper treatment, oxygen support and intensive care will be required to treat such infants.
4. Multiple Pregnancy
Multiple Pregnancy comes with a lot of complications as compared to normal pregnancy. After the delivery of twins or triplets, some babies need to be admitted to NICU for special care. Multiple pregnancies don’t often reach the due delivery date and delivery between 31st to 37th weeks. Such babies can have medical complications like low birth weight, breathing problems, infection, etc require NICU.
5. Infections
After a baby is born, his immune system is still in development stages. During this time, he is at higher risk of getting infections like localized or systematic infections, Meningitis, sepsis, etc. Such babies need extra medical care for which they are admitted to NICU for a while.
6. Heart Problems
Some babies are born with congenital heart disease that is caused due to some infections, genetic abnormalities, etc. It is a slightly complicated situation and needs urgent and quick NICU admission. In NICU, doctors and pediatric cardiologist, take care of the baby at every step of the treatment. Proper treatment is done based on the type of heart disease and the baby’s condition.
7. Jaundice
Jaundice is one of the most common reasons for which babies require NICU admission. Such babies have yellowish skin and eyes. The liver in such babies is not mature to remove body waste on its own. So, to treat jaundice and prevent other related serious complications, doctors treat and monitor the infant closely.
Conclusion
If your baby is admitted to NICU, you don’t need to panic. With proper care and treatment, he will be alright. NICU is one of the advancements of medical science present in every hospital to treat and monitor infants with various health concerns. After admitting to NICU, babies are taken utmost care of under experienced professionals. No matter what the reason behind admitting is, you need to trust the doctors and hope for the best.