Settling into the Small Baby Unit at CHOC Hospital
This short video will describe what you can expect while settling in with your baby in the Small Baby Unit at CHOC Hospital.
Your baby will be brought to the Small Baby Unit by the neonatal intensive care unit team. Often the baby has just been born, so mom stays at the delivery hospital while the other parent accompanies your baby to CHOC.
The team will bring your baby to a private room to be placed in an isolette, a clear plastic enclosed crib. Later, your baby will be moved to a pod-style bed in an open space.
The team will listen to your baby’s heart rate, breathing and belly sounds. They’ll check their pulse and skin color. They’ll look at their eyes, ears, mouth and nose. They’ll also take your baby’s body temperature.
A physician will insert a tube into the belly button, which is already open. This does not hurt.
This tube allows fluids to be given continuously. This will keep your baby hydrated until they are ready to start getting milk after a few days.
Blood work will be taken from the umbilical lines.
An X-ray will be taken of your baby’s chest to check the lungs and the abdomen and ensure umbilical lines are in the right place.
Your baby will need special equipment to help them breathe.
Your baby will be connected to the heart rate and oxygen monitor 24 hours a day. These figures are displayed on a monitor where the nurse can always see.
Once the initial assessment is finished, your baby’s nurse will make your baby comfortable and let them rest for 2 to 4 hours.
A snuggly helps contain and comfort your baby and a blackout cover placed over the isolette keeps the environment dark.
At your baby’s bedside, you may see many different machines and equipment that beep and sound alarms. The beeps and alarms don’t necessarily mean there’s an emergency.
Your medical team will explain what each machine does.
<a href="