NICU - Visiting Rules!

The word ‘NICU’ has a scary, uncertain, and terribly ill vibe to it. Once you are inside though, it is a whole different feeling. Fragile. Full of emotion. Things you will see/hear once in your life and forget once you are out.

Among those things, I would pick “fragile” as the best word to describe NICU. Around 70-80% of the babies inside the room are born underweight with at least a few conditions which require extremely cautious care.

INFECTION is the word that you will hear most often as something to avoid the hell out. Once, a nurse told me, once there is infection, all the progress we make until then is puff… gone in a day. You really want to do all you can to avoid infection.

NICU has written rules that are set by the team and unwritten rules that the team expects you to follow to provide the best care to your little ones.

Written rules: There is a frame hanging outside by NICU door and it has all the written rules on it.

1- Visiting hours. Most burning one for the team is the visiting hours. The team clearly states the exact hours verbally too in your very first day. Our visiting hours were 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. Obviously, I did not like the fact that I could see my D. only for four hours a day, driving back and forth all day with all my breast pumping schedule. However, I followed it. It was a rule set by NICU for a reason, for them to do a more thorough work on the babies, which mattered the most.

They made exceptions obviously. I never felt like NICU team treated us like robots. For example, when I got myself together to see my baby post-delivery, it was outside visiting hours. They did welcome me at the time that was suitable to me as it was my first time with my D.

2- Wash your hands. Every time you go out of NICU, and you come back in, make sure you wash your hands. There is a huge sink located right in the entrance. You need to stop by the sink and wash your hands as instructed on the warning sheet above the sink. Nurses will not hesitate to warn you if you do not follow😊

3- Do not visit NICU if you have symptoms. VERY IMPORTANT! Responsibility is totally on you. Coughing, having nasal symptoms are not welcome in the NICU and it is written in the list of rules. On top of it, if you have any other symptoms or diagnosis, you need to discuss with your NICU doctor for your own baby’s sake!

Six days after my delivery, I developed C-difficile, which is a germ that causes severe diarrhea. We discussed it with the head of NICU and decided it is best that I stay away from the NICU until my symptoms disappear. Once symptoms disappeared, the doctor asked me to put on medical gown and not touch D. for another week. It took 10 DAYS in total! It was a nightmare. I remember negotiating with the doctor!! It was the hormones negotiating, not me😊

Unwritten rules: You will not find written anywhere yet as important as the written rules.

1- Make sure you take a shower pre your visit. NICU team does not put you on a line and check whether you smell or not😊 They let you know that it is important for your baby’s sake and for her to avoid any infection that could travel from the outside world. Responsibility is yours. We did choose to do it and stick to it big time. From showering twice everyday and washing our hands so frequently, I developed extremely dry hands and face, which disappeared a short while post-discharge.

2- If you cannot take a shower, make sure you bring clean clothes with you. There were dads, coming straight from work, who did not have the time and the facilities to take a shower. In that case, it recommended to bring clean clothes and change before going into NICU. NICU team does not check this one every time you visit but they expect you to do it. Responsibility is again yours. My husband went with it. Washing machine at home was at our service day and night during this period😊

3- Respect other baby’s emergency situations. We would be by the NICU door, and we expect to go in when the clock hit 10 AM or 5 PM. Sometimes one of the babies was having an emergency and we had to wait outside until NICU team sorted it out safely. Nurses would let you know whether the baby is yours or not, to save you from the trouble to die over it during your wait outside. I would feel this massive relief that it was not my baby. I would also feel guilty for feeling this way because it was someone else’s little one. I would silently wait and quietly pray for that baby to get well as soon as possible. That is what kept me sane.

Overall, what mattered to me was to support NICU team as much as I could so they could focus on taking care of my baby in the best viable way.