Acquaint yourself with the unit's layout, including the nurses' station, waiting areas, and facilities. There will be visitation rules and steps for handwashing prior to entrance. The NICU/PICU may feel like a foreign atmosphere and can be overwhelming, and overstimulating.

Get to know the staff. Meet the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. They can answer questions and provide support. While they are working hard to care for their patients, they are there to support you as well. Common providers on your child’s care team may include a neonatologist (a pediatrician that takes care of sick newborns), a pediatric resident, a nurse, a child-life specialist (a pediatric healthcare professional that helps children and their families deal with illness, injury, or hospitalization), a respiratory therapist, a dietician, a speech-language pathologist, and/or a physical therapist. 

Familiarize yourself with your child’s bedside. There will be monitors, tubes, cords, sounds, and bright lights³. Each piece of equipment has a special purpose in your baby’s treatment. Ask about what you see and hear to feel more comfortable with this environment.  

Your child’s bedside nurse will be the frontline for communication. If the unit allows, try to attend daily rounds. This is when doctors discuss your child’s progress and is an optimal time to ask questions or bring up any concerns you have. 

Understand your child’s condition and treatment plan. This will help you feel a sense of control. 

Keep a notebook, and log information, questions, and answers during your visits to help you remember when the time comes. Stay organized, and keep important documents, medical records, and contact information in one place. Request brochures or resources about your child’s condition to supplement the information you receive from your child’s caregivers. 

Having a baby in the NICU or a child in the PICU is stressful. You will likely have strong feelings about your baby’s health and care. Recognize that you and your partner may deal with this stress differently. That is OK and normal. 

It is essential you receive emotional support during your child’s admission. Consider joining a parent support group. It can be comforting to share your experience with others as well as connect with families going through a similar experience. The doctors, nurses, and support staff can make suggestions or give you more information on support options available.  

Many units offer counseling for parents. Seek help if you’re feeling overwhelmed or need more information on services offered to parents. 

Other support services, such as lactation consultants, social workers, and child life specialists are also available to families as needed. 

While it is tempting to sit bedside 24/7, it’s important to care for yourself too. Follow a daily routine. Every day, take a shower, eat healthy foods and regular meals, take breaks to maintain your energy, prioritize getting a good night’s sleep.. Having a baby or child in the NICU/PICU takes a lot of mental, emotional, and physical energy. Care for yourself so that you can care for your child when you are at the hospital.

Keep in touch with family and friends for support. Not only can they support you emotionally but ask them to help at home too so you can spend time at the hospital without worrying about daily home tasks.  Set a routine for visiting hours and communicate with your support network about how they can help. Tell them exactly what they can do to help.

Participation in your child’s care is beneficial for both of you. Ask how you can be involved, whether soothing, feeding, changing diapers or even bathing. Your child’s nurse can show you appropriate touch, holding and other ways to bond while your baby is admitted. 

Bonding with your child is still achievable while in the hospital. Once your little one is stable enough, the nurses will assist with skin-to-skin contact (kangaroo care). Even your bedside presence and hearing your voice is valuable until holding your little one is possible. 

Inquire about the criteria for discharge. Throughout your child’s stay, consider what type of support you will need at home. Will you need a different nursery setup, bed, or equipment? Consider the type of help you will need to care for your baby at home, or to cover other household tasks if your baby requires more hands-on care than you originally anticipated.

Ensure you have a plan for follow-up appointments and any at-home care needed. Have a plan and support in place prior to discharge so you can enjoy being all back together once home. 

You may have conflicting emotions about bringing your baby or child home after being in the hospital. You might feel excited, nervous, lonely, relieved, guilty, and/or scared. All of these feelings (and more) are normal. Your feelings will change as you settle in at home and get more comfortable with your baby’s/child’s care. Ask for help if you need it and connect with other NICU or PICU families for support. 

You may feel anxious about keeping your baby healthy at home. Some easy steps to take to keep your baby healthy include:

• Ask visitors to wash their hands before touching the baby or child

• Ask any adult who may have contact with your baby to get a Tdap vaccination to prevent the spread of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (also called whooping cough) to your baby. These infections can be dangerous for a baby.

• Don’t allow visitors who are sick or have been exposed to illness near your baby/child.

• Try to avoid taking your baby to crowded places until they have gotten their routine vaccinations.

• If you have other children that attend daycare or school, ensure they are up-to-date on their vaccinations to avoid any unnecessary illness exposure to your baby/child.