Why Do Babies Require NICU Attention?
There are a variety of reasons why new-borns are admitted to the NICU and require NICU?
1. Premature Baby
The most prevalent reason for a baby’s admission to the NICU is that he or she was born prematurely.
A premature baby is one that is born before the 37th week of pregnancy.
When a baby is born prematurely, their entire body is preterm as well!
Because their lungs and hearts haven’t grown sufficiently, they rely on equipment to help them breathe.
Because their brains have not completely grown, they are unable to eat on their own and must rely on a feeding tube.
They can’t regulate their body temperature, so they’re kept in isolettes.
They’re also born tiny and vulnerable, so they need to be kept safe from infection.
Premature babies require a lot of medical attention. As a result, infants are generally kept in the NICU until they are fully developed, breathing on their own, and eating by bottle or breast on their own.
