NICU – Discharge Day!

Getting the hell out of here!

As much as I appreciated every single thing about NICU, I wanted to just leave for good and never come back.

I loved going to NICU every day because it was my only time with D. I hated the leaving part though. I was looking forward to the day when we became inseparable for the next god knows how many months😊

Our last day in NICU was all about making sure the discharge documents are filled, necessary information is provided by the nurses etc. There is a discharge training checklist which includes mainly the items below:

CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) training: Emergency life saving procedure which every parent has to get themselves familiar with. It is a short but very critical piece of information. Getting educated about it gets your heartbeat go faster but it is essential to know what to do in such situations. They also provide you leaflets explaining how to perform a CPR if necessary. What I did was to place the leaflets in two places in our home where we spend the most time with D. It was just for my peace of mind😊

Temperature check: We were given clear instructions on at what temperature we should give her fever medicine and when we should take her to a doctor.

Stool type/frequency: Stool color and indications, acceptable # of days with no stool, actions we can take, when it is time to see a doctor

Changing a diaper: Nurses let me change D.’s diaper very early in our NICU journey. It was a matter of getting better at it over time.

Bathing and overall cleaning: Our nurse gave her last bath in the NICU and we observed, asked questions. This was indeed super helpful and it should be provided to every parent even if they are not a preemie parent.

Breastfeeding: One of the checklist items is that you are provided regular lactation consultancy by the hospital. Hospital makes sure that you are educated on the details of breastfeeding. You are also provided with information on pumping, storing milk, warming it up etc.

Formula: If your baby is formula fed, you are getting educated on ideal water temperature, the maximum daily amount of supply, mixing water with the formula powder, possible indications you might observe in the stool etc.

Prescriptions: Nurses provide you with of all the medicines or supplements that you should continue giving your baby post NICU.

Escort to the car for seat check: Once all is settled, you go to the car with the nurse, who makes sure your little one is comfortable and happy in the car seat.

THEN YOU HIT THE ROAD AND NEVER LOOK BACK!

Filling the checklist takes a few days. Some of the information you receive, you don’t even know that you ever needed in your parenting life.

Some of it sounds very simple, right? Like who doesn’t know how to warm up milk or how to change a diaper? BUT I assure you, any information you can get, take it. You will see even the tiniest piece of info will become handy at one point or another.

Newborn parents do not get this kind of training before they leave the hospital. They usually have to figure it all out alone. As a preemie parent, you leave the hospital all prepped for the physical caring and you focus more on the bonding part.