Why Do Babies Go to the NICU?

After most deliveries, the mother is able to hold and be with her newborn baby. However, in some cases doctors and nurses will quickly step in and move a newborn to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). A NICU admission can be sudden and overwhelming, and parents are often left with uncertainty as they try to understand why their newborn requires specialized care.

Most babies do not need NICU care because they are born healthy, can breathe and feed on their own, and have stable vital signs after delivery. Other babies may need to be admitted to the NICU because they were born prematurely, have difficulty breathing, show signs of infection, have low blood sugar or other medical concerns, or experienced complications during labor or delivery. The decision to admit a baby to the NICU depends on whether they need closer monitoring, specialized treatment, or additional support that cannot be provided through routine newborn care.

What is the NICU?

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a specialized hospital unit that provides advanced medical care for newborns who need extra monitoring or treatment after birth. It is staffed by neonatologists, neonatal nurses, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare professionals trained specifically to care for infants with complex medical needs.

What separates the NICU from a standard newborn nursery is the level of monitoring and intervention available. Babies in the NICU can receive continuous observation of their vital signs, breathing support, intravenous nutrition or medication, and immediate access to specialists if their condition changes.

Common reasons a baby may need NICU care

A newborn may need NICU care because of a condition present at birth or a complication that develops during labor, delivery, or shortly after. 

Common reasons include:

• Premature birth (before 37 weeks), when organs need more time to develop
• Difficulty breathing or a need for oxygen support
• Low birth weight, requiring help with feeding, temperature regulation, and growth
• Serious infection requiring antibiotics and close monitoring
• Low blood sugar levels that need to be stabilized
• Elevated bilirubin levels, treated with light therapy (phototherapy)
• Oxygen deprivation or complications during a difficult delivery
• Infection of the mother’s placenta, amniotic fluid, or membranes before or during labor, which raises the baby’s risk of infection

Babies with certain medical conditions or risk factors may need close monitoring to make sure their condition remains stable and to identify complications as early as possible. Monitoring may include checking a baby’s breathing, heart rate, oxygen levels, blood sugar, temperature, feeding, and other signs of distress. If a baby who needs closer monitoring is not appropriately evaluated or admitted to the NICU, a developing complication may go unnoticed.

What doctors monitor during a NICU stay

When a newborn is admitted to the NICU, the medical team carefully evaluates the baby’s condition and determines what treatments and support are needed.

The medical team evaluates a newborn’s condition continuously, watching for:

• Breathing and oxygen levels, to determine whether respiratory support is needed
• Heart rate and other vital signs, to track how the baby responds to treatment
• Feeding and growth, to confirm the baby is gaining weight appropriately
• Signs of infection, so treatment can begin quickly if needed
• Brain function, watching for complications related to oxygen deprivation or other birth conditions

The NICU team uses these observations to guide treatment decisions and determine when a baby is ready for the next stage of care.

How long do babies stay in the NICU? 

NICU stays vary widely and depend entirely on a baby’s medical condition and how well they respond to treatment. A short stay of a few days may cover minor treatments like phototherapy for jaundice. However, stay durations can extend to several weeks for infants requiring more intensive support for conditions like respiratory distress or serious infections. For very premature infants, a stay may last months while they reach the organ development, weight, and feeding milestones needed to safely go home.

Doctors carefully monitor each baby’s progress to determine when it’s safe for them to leave. Waiting can be unsettling, but every day of specialized care is focused on giving the baby the best possible start.

What happens after a baby Leaves the NICU?

Leaving the NICU is an important milestone, but a baby’s care does not necessarily end when they go home. Follow-up appointments and ongoing monitoring help doctors assess the baby’s development, feeding, breathing, growth, and other health concerns that may require continued attention after discharge.

Before discharge, parents should receive clear instructions about follow-up care, medications, warning signs, and any specialists or services their baby may need to see. These appointments allow doctors to identify potential complications early and determine whether additional treatment or support is necessary.

When a baby is discharged too early or does not receive appropriate follow-up care, important health concerns may go unnoticed. Delays in recognizing or treating complications can potentially affect a baby’s health and development. If a baby was discharged before they were medically ready or did not receive the follow-up care they needed, understanding what happened can help parents determine whether additional care should have been provided.

When a NICU stay may be related to a birth injury

Many babies require intensive care despite receiving appropriate medical treatment, and many go on to make full recoveries.

However, in some situations, a baby’s condition may stem from complications that weren’t recognized or treated promptly during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Delays in responding to fetal distress, untreated infections, prolonged oxygen deprivation, or other preventable complications can increase the risk of serious birth injuries.

Some babies admitted to the NICU are later diagnosed with conditions such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), seizures, or other brain injuries caused by a lack of oxygen during birth. Others may experience complications related to prematurity or delivery trauma that require ongoing medical care. 

You deserve answers and support

Having a baby in the NICU can be one of the most emotional experiences a family can face. It is important to remember that many NICU admissions are unavoidable, and countless babies recover with the help of specialized medical care.

If your child experienced a serious birth complication, you may be left wondering if more could have been done. Understanding what happened during pregnancy, labor, and delivery can help provide clarity and help your family make informed decisions moving forward.

At Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman, LLC, our birth injury attorneys help families review medical records to better understand the circumstances surrounding their child’s birth. If you believe your baby’s NICU admission or birth injury may have been caused by preventable medical negligence, our experienced legal team is here to help. 

Contact us today at 410-998-3600 or schedule a free consultation through our contact page.