It is not an easy task to be a mother. One has to go through a lot of emotions, struggles, sleepless nights and breakdowns during the journey. Recently, on Mother’s Day, while many Bollywood stars shared notes for their mothers, Priyanka Chopra posted a heartfelt message that summed up her journey as a new mother. Priyanka and Nick, who welcomed their baby through surrogacy in January this year, have finally brought their baby girl home after 100 days of NICU.
Priyanka shared a photo of the sweet little family on Instagram on Mother’s Day and informed the same to her fans. She wrote, “On this Mother’s Day we can’t help but reflect on these last few months and the rollercoaster we’ve been on, which we now know, so many people have also experienced. After 100 plus days in the NICU, our little girl is finally home.”
The time was ‘challenging’ for the new mother as despite becoming a mommy, she was away from her little one. After Priyanka’s post, many wondered what NICU is and how it works. So, to clear all your doubts we are here to shed a light on the topic.
What is NICU?
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a specialised unit in many hospitals with advanced technology and specialised trained healthcare professionals. The units are designed to provide specialised nursing care to premature babies, sick babies and babies with birth defects. Giving birth to a baby before time can be an unexpected scenario for parents. It can lead to a lot of problems. Inside the womb, the mother’s body provides oxygen, food, nutrition and everything a baby needs. However, premature babies get detached from the mother’s body before time and many do not become capable of breathing properly by themselves and carrying out other bodily functions. For this, a specialised unit called NICU is put up in many hospitals with special nurses who are trained in taking care of the tiniest of creatures.
Why do babies need NICU?
The babies who are admitted to NICU are mostly born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, are weak at birth, weigh less than 2 kgs or have some birth defect. According to a Stanford Children’s Health report, “Babies with health conditions such as breathing trouble, heart problems, infections, or birth defects are also cared for in the NICU.” These babies have a higher risk of infant death; therefore, they are kept in special units.
What can lead to premature delivery or birth defects?
There are multiple reasons a baby can be born before the completion of nine months or with illness at birth. They can be connected to mothers, babies’ health and even delivery complications.
Maternal factors:
- Younger than 16 years or older than 40 years.
- Exposure to drugs or alcohol.
- Health conditions such as blood pressure, diabetes, and STDs.
- Multiple babies at one time
Delivery factors:
- Abnormal position of the baby
- Rupture of amniotic sac before time
- Umbilical cord wrapped around the baby’s neck
- Lack of oxygen inside the womb
- Meconium (baby passed first stool during pregnancy)
Neonatal factors:
- Born before less than 37 weeks
- Low birth weight
- Respiratory distress
- Low blood sugar
- Infections such as herpes, group B streptococcus, chlamydia
Who takes care of the baby in NICU?
Specially-trained healthcare providers who deal with premature deliveries, children’s health, respiratory support, and lactation consultants.
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