Warmth—When you first visit, your baby will probably be on a warmer or in an incubator (isolette). The warmer or incubator provides an environment of warmth. A special wire, or temperature probe, is taped to your baby’s skin and connected to an electronic thermometer, which continuously shows the baby’s temperature.

Monitoring—Your baby will have monitor leads on their chest. These monitor leads are connected by wires to a machine that displays heart and respiratory rates. The monitors help the doctors and nurses monitor your baby’s heartbeat and breathing. Babies having breathing problems may have a monitor called a pulse oximeter. This is a band-aid like probe which is wrapped around the hand or foot. A red beam of light is transmitted to measure oxygen saturation in the blood.

Oxygen Therapy—If your baby has breathing difficulties, he/she may need extra oxygen. In this case, a clear plastic box or hood is placed over the head to deliver warm, moist oxygen. Sometimes, a ventilator (breathing machine) may be used to help your baby breathe. This machine is attached to an endotracheal tube (ET tube) inserted in the mouth to the windpipe, helping the baby to breathe. Other babies require extra pressure in their lungs to help keep the lungs inflated. CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) provides this pressure via a nasal prong. Babies may also get extra oxygen through a thin plastic tube with little prongs going into the nose (Nasal Cannula).

Blood Samples—Blood samples are often drawn when your baby arrives in the unit and throughout the hospital stay. We obtain samples by taking a small amount of blood from the baby’s heel, vein, umbilical vein or artery catheter. One of the most common tests is for blood gases, which measures the amount of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the baby’s blood.

Your baby may need a transfusion while in the NICU to replace blood removed for lab tests. Blood is provided by the blood bank. If you desire, you may select the donors for your baby through the Designated Donor Program. If you would like to use Designated Donor blood, ask your baby’s nurse or doctor for information.

Phototherapy—Phototherapy or “bili lights” are special fluorescent lights used for babies with jaundice, a yellow skin coloring that commonly occurs in newborns, particularly premature infants. The lights help your baby get rid of excess bilirubin—a pigment that makes babies jaundiced. We protect your baby’s eyes with eye covers when under the light

Intravenous and Gavage Feeding—If your baby is too ill or small to eat, we may place an intravenous line (IV) for fluids. This line also assists with delivering medications to your baby. The IV may be placed in the infant’s foot, hand, umbilicus (belly button) or scalp. Babies who are gavage fed are given milk through a tube passed from the mouth to the stomach.