NICU – First 72 hours
- Jul 21, 2022
- 2 min read
It is very difficult shake the shock off and just dive into the new journey but first three days are worth remembering:)
You will hear a lot of things which will devastate you. They will keep labeling things as 'normal' even if it is a hole in the heart or a bleed in the brain.
Well, most things are indeed normal as your baby needs time to fully develop her bodily systems. Super difficult to understand when you are actually going through it. However, these NICU doctors saved so many babies, saw innumerous preemies, it is WISER to trust them. It does not necessarily mean everything will go as you wish. However, there is nothing much to be done other than having faith in the process and leaving it to your doctors.
What is happening in the first few days?
Daily weight checks: Dora was born 1270 gram and lost 200 grams of it in the first two days. Up to 15% weight loss in the initial days is within norm so there is nothing to worry about unless your doctor brings it up. She started gaining regularly only after the first week. After the first week, weight checks are done every other day if the baby’s weight gain is fine.
Feedings: Very first feeding is through the IV (if breastmilk/formula is not introduced yet) which contains minerals and vitamins that the baby’s body requires. Then NICU team starts introducing either breastmilk/formula gradually through the feeding tube. Before each feeding (initially it is every 2 hours) they check the feeding tube if the milk goes through, or it comes back from the stomach. If it comes back from the stomach, the color of the residual is critical to decide whether they keep the feedings/take a break/require further investigations.
Caffeine support: D. was also put on caffeine medication which apparently improves lung function in preemies. Cheers ONCE AGAIN to all the coffee I did NOT drink during my pregnancy:)
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