How to Prepare to Leave the NICU with Your Baby
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This post is about your baby finally graduating and leaving the NICU to start their little life with you at home. CONGRATULATIONS! This is a HUGE moment in your baby’s life and yours too. I know that you have been waiting for this day for a while. No matter how long your NICU stay, the moment they start talking about discharging your baby home is the BEST feeling. Leaving the NICU is a moment that everyone will always remember. It can be overwhelming in so many ways.
Leaving the NICU: How to Prepare?
Again, congratulations on being able to finally take home your baby or multiples. I’m sure there have been a lot of ups and downs. Lots of crying or stressed out moments, amazing staff (hopefully!), and some happy milestones. You might feel a little anxious leaving behind all the monitors that have been keeping track of how your baby is doing. If you’re anxious, definitely speak with your provider for signs or symptoms of when to give them or the pediatrician a call. Be prepared for future events, the good and bad. It’ll be scary at first and as time goes by you’ll see that things start becoming more routine for you.
For Baby That is Leaving the NICU
Car Seat
You might be required to bring the car seat in for the NICU staff to check out. In our case, we have to bring it in to make sure his oxygen stays in a good range. His larger head might make seating a little more difficult. So start preparing your car seat. The safest spot in the car is that middle seat, away from both doors and rear facing. Rear facing just means that the baby is looking towards the back of the car, unlike how adults or kids face the front.
Going Home Outfit for Leaving the NICU
When packing your baby bag for leaving the hospital, you’ll want to have the basics. A going home outfit is just for photos but maybe a loved one has given you a special outfit. A lot of people like to gift clothes in the hopes that it will be what they wear when they go home. I would have both a short sleeve outfit and a long sleeve one. Some babies run on the hotter side (like ours) so we are opting for short sleeve.
Here are some cute outfits for your baby
Bassinet, Crib, or Other Sleeping Arrangements
Make sure everything is in place. All the sheets are ordered, cleaned, and put on the mattress. Have extra ones cleaned and ready to go in case the baby has a blowout while sleeping or soaks through their diaper. Our first born would spit up a lot, so we were constantly changing the linens.
If You Have Other Kids
If you have other kids and your house is limited in space, make sure the newborn has safe arrangements. This can include different baby rockers or bouncers. Also, in our case we have our changing table in our daughter’s room so we will need our diaper supplies elsewhere. If she’s down for a nap or sleeping at night, we don’t want to go into her room and disturb her for the newborn’s diaper change. We have a little basket that was gifted to us that will have the newborn’s diapers, wipes, and butt cream in.
For Mom
Appointments
Get yourself a large calendar to hang somewhere near the kitchen or maybe on the fridge. This will allow you to easily view what’s coming up so you can arrange for someone to help you if needed. The NICU providers will probably want you to make a pediatric appointment pretty shortly after discharge. Even though it’s a very last minute appointment, most offices have ‘secret’ appointment times specifically for NICU patients.
Welcome Home Decorations
A lot of celebrations center around your baby. Baby showers, gender reveals, first birthday, and also a welcome home party! We didn’t do this for our baby, but if you have family nearby and are open to visitors, a few decorations can really help with the excitement.
Food
You might want to let others know that you’re going to be discharged soon, in case anyone wants to help with meals. A NICU baby can come with a lot of complications, but hopefully they are manageable. If you’re able to have people provide meals, it will let you rest and bond more with your baby. Meal prepping might also be helpful if you’ve been home with available time to do so. Not everyone is able to meal prep, but I think it would help in those first few weeks.
Family Notified Before Leaving the NICU
Let your family know!!!! You want as much help as you can get. When someone offers help, TAKE IT. You can always give back to that person in another way in another time. Your family will probably want to see the baby ASAP – if you need time to yourself, let everyone know. Visitors should understand if you want to spend some time with your baby first. But if you’re up for family and friends to visit, let them come see the baby (and ask them for some cleaning help or food haha). Remember, everyone is happy for you and so so so excited to see that beautiful little baby at home where they belong.