Why is my baby in the NICU?

Newborn babies are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) when they need urgent and/or specialized treatment or resuscitation after birth. Babies who are premature or suffered an injury at birth are typically admitted to the NICU. The NICU has specialists and the appropriate equipment needed to treat them.

A baby can be taken to the NICU minutes or within hours of their birth. The length of their stay depends on their condition and the treatment they need. Sadly, a baby might even become injured in the NICU.

As a parent, it can be terrifying to see your baby in the NICU. Know that you have options and support that can help you navigate this difficult time. Read on to understand what caused this situation and what you can do.

Causes of NICU Admission

There are a variety of reasons why a baby would be taken to a NICU. These include treatments for:

Premature birth: A baby born prematurely – before 37 weeks of pregnancy – is especially fragile. This is because their organs are not all developed yet, and they may not have the strength to breathe or eat on their own. The NICU has equipment to support their breathing and feeding, among other supportive treatments.
Newborn resuscitation: Newborns who are unable to breathe or who suffered oxygen deprivation during labor need resuscitation and/or breathing support in the NICU. This includes premature babies, babies with injuries like HIE, and others with conditions such as meconium aspiration (accidentally breathing in feces from amniotic fluid in the womb).
Infections: Newborns are at a high risk for getting infections and suffering very serious effects since their immune systems are fragile. They can get infections passed from their mom, like herpes encephalitis. They can also get infected by viruses and pathogens present during vaginal or C-section delivery.
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE): HIE is a brain injury that deprives a baby of oxygen. It happens at or around the time of childbirth, but evolves hours and even days after that. The primary recommended treatment is hypothermia (cooling) therapy within 6 hours of birth. Cooling can reduce the damage created by the brain injury.

If you cannot relate your situation to the conditions outlined here, know that this is not a complete list. Unfortunately, there are many complications that can occur during or after birth, and each child’s situation is unique.

The conditions listed above will vary for each person, but there are risk factors that your medical team should monitor and screen for to prevent premature birth, infection, and/or injury. If medical professionals identify these risks in time, they can intervene and prevent or decrease your baby’s risk for birth complications and injury.

Fetal distress is a common indicator that something is wrong. A baby is in distress if it’s not tolerating labor well. Your physician and nurses can see how the baby is tolerating labor by checking the fetal heart rate monitor, among other signs of fetal distress they are trained to watch out for.

Birth Injury Malpractice

There are standards of care that all medical professionals and hospital systems must follow. Medical staff should not just monitor your pregnancy, labor, and delivery, but also act in time to prevent complications from happening. If your medical team makes a mistake that leads to your baby suffering from a birth injury, then it’s considered medical malpractice. Unfortunately, some babies who are admitted to the NICU may have suffered from a preventable injury or complication.

If your medical team does not provide the care that was required of them, it can not only lead to your baby needing extra support in the NICU. Medical malpractice at birth can cause permanent disability, including:

Cerebral palsy
Intellectual or developmental disabilities
Hearing and visual impairments
Seizure disorders
And more

It can be incredibly difficult to see your baby in a fragile state in the NICU, especially if you learn that it could have been prevented. NICU parents experience stress that is similar to PTSD. It’s important to take care of yourself during this time and know what options you have.

What do I do if my baby is in the NICU?

It can be easy to feel helpless seeing your newborn baby struggle in the NICU until they can be stable on their own. It’s important to know that you can advocate for your baby by asking their medical team questions, making observations about your baby and their care, expressing any concerns you have, and being persistent. For more details, read Advocating for Your NICU Baby: 7 Tips from a Former Obstetrical Nurse.

Emotional support is important to maintain during this difficult time. Reach out to trusted loved ones about what’s happening and lean on them for support. Organizations like Hand to Hold offer support to NICU parents in the form of counseling, support groups, and even support for bereaved families.

If you feel that something went wrong during your child’s labor or delivery, then another option can be to contact a lawyer. It can seem intimidating, but a free consultation with a lawyer can help you learn whether your child’s birth injury could have been prevented. If you have a legal case, then you are entitled to financial recovery to use towards the care your child will need for the rest of their life.

Contact ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers

It can be intimidating to think of contacting a law firm or pursuing a lawsuit, but working with a firm that handles birth injury cases means you are in the right hands of professionals who understand the challenges you’re facing and have worked to help families like yours before.

ABC Law Centers was founded in 1997 to focus only on birth injuries, including those involving a NICU stay. For decades, we’ve worked with parents in your situation and helped fight for their child’s justice and lifetime compensation so that they have the opportunity to thrive like other children.

Our staff only handles birth injury, meaning we have the right skills and resources to recover a favorable settlement or verdict for your family. In addition, we have the time to focus on each individual case and devote our support to every family.

Contact us today for a free consultation. In fact, you pay nothing unless we win your case. You are also not obligated to work with our firm if you choose to contact us, but our team is happy to listen to your story and provide you with your legal options regardless.

Tell us your story.

Dealing with a birth injury diagnosis can be difficult, but our attorneys can help. The ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers team focuses exclusively on birth injury and are dedicated to earning justice for families like yours.

Get Legal Help Now

Sources

https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/preterm-labor-and-birth