Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Sumit Bhavsar, Neonatologist and NICU Care Specialist, Momstory, Pune.
Very few parents plan for it, but roughly one in ten babies needs some form of extra medical support after birth. Hearing that your newborn is being moved to the NICU, often within minutes of delivery, sometimes before you’ve even had a chance to hold them, is one of the most disorienting moments a new parent can go through. In my years as a neonatologist in Pune, I’ve sat with hundreds of families in exactly this moment, and the questions are almost always the same: why is this happening, what happens in there, and when do we get our baby back?
This post is meant to answer those questions in advance, so that if you ever find yourself in this situation, at least some of it feels less unfamiliar.
Why Would a Newborn Need NICU Care?
A NICU admission doesn’t mean something has gone catastrophically wrong, it means your baby needs a level of monitoring or support that a regular nursery isn’t equipped to provide. The most common reasons include:
- Premature birth: babies born before 37 weeks, and especially before 34 weeks, often need help with breathing, feeding, and temperature regulation that their bodies aren’t yet ready to manage alone
- Low birth weight, whether or not the baby was premature
- Breathing difficulty immediately after birth, which can range from mild grunting to needing a ventilator
- Significant jaundice that needs more intensive phototherapy than a standard nursery light
- Suspected infection, where a baby is monitored and treated with antibiotics as a precaution while test results are pending
- Low blood sugar that doesn’t stabilise with normal feeding
- Complications during delivery, such as reduced oxygen at birth
- Congenital conditions that need specialist evaluation or, in some cases, surgery
- Multiple births (twins or triplets), who are more likely to be born early or at a lower birth weight
In many cases, a baby is admitted purely as a precaution, to be observed closely for the first 24–48 hours, and goes on to be perfectly fine. The admission itself is often about caution and close monitoring, not necessarily a sign of a serious problem.
Understanding NICU Levels of Care
Not every NICU admission looks the same, because NICUs are organised into levels based on how much support a baby needs:
- Level I / Well-baby nursery: for healthy, stable newborns needing only routine observation
- Level II: for babies with mild to moderate needs, such as feeding support or brief monitoring
- Level III: for premature or critically ill babies who may need ventilator support, specialist evaluation, or advanced monitoring
- Level IV: the highest level of care, for the most complex cases, including newborns who may need surgery
A good child specialist in Pune will be able to tell you which level of care your baby has been placed in and why, and this is a completely reasonable question to ask, since it directly affects what to expect next.
What Actually Happens Inside the NICU
Once admitted, your baby will typically be placed in an incubator or warmer to help maintain a stable body temperature, along with monitors that continuously track heart rate, breathing, and oxygen levels. Depending on the reason for admission, care may include:
- Respiratory support: ranging from a small amount of extra oxygen to a ventilator, depending on how much help your baby’s lungs need
- IV fluids or nutrition, if your baby isn’t yet ready to feed by mouth
- Phototherapy, for babies being treated for jaundice
- Tube feeding, often using expressed breast milk, for babies who aren’t yet strong enough to feed directly
- Regular blood tests, to monitor blood sugar, infection markers, or other values your care team is tracking
Your baby’s care team usually includes a neonatologist, NICU-trained nurses, and, depending on the case, other paediatric specialists brought in for specific concerns. As a practising NICU specialist in Pune, I can say that this team-based structure exists precisely because newborns in intensive care often need several types of expertise working together, not just one doctor making isolated decisions.
Can You Be With Your Baby?
Yes, and you should be, as much as the unit’s protocols allow. Most NICUs today actively encourage parents to be present, hold their baby when medically appropriate (often called kangaroo care), and participate in feeding once the baby is ready. This isn’t just emotionally important, skin-to-skin contact and parental involvement have real, measurable benefits for a newborn’s stability and recovery. Don’t hesitate to ask the nursing staff how you can be more involved; most NICU teams will welcome the question.
How Long Does a NICU Stay Usually Last?
This varies enormously and depends entirely on why your baby was admitted. A baby admitted for a short observation period might be back in the regular nursery within a day or two. A premature baby, on the other hand, may need to stay until they reach a certain weight, can maintain their own body temperature, and can feed without support, which can take days to several weeks. Your care team should be able to give you a general sense of what to expect, while being honest that timelines in the NICU are rarely exact.
It’s Normal to Feel Overwhelmed
I want to say this plainly, because it doesn’t get said enough: the anxiety and stress of having your baby in the NICU is real, well-documented, and nothing to feel guilty about. Studies on parental stress during NICU admissions consistently show high levels of anxiety, particularly around separation from the baby and uncertainty about outcomes. If you’re going through this, it helps to ask your care team direct questions daily, request updates in plain language rather than just medical terms, and lean on family support where you can. You are not expected to simply “stay calm”, you’re expected to be a parent going through something genuinely hard, and a good NICU team will make space for that.
What Happens Before Discharge
Before your baby is discharged from the NICU, the team will typically confirm that they can maintain their body temperature outside an incubator, feed adequately (by breast or bottle), and show steady weight gain, along with resolving whatever the original reason for admission was. Your doctor will usually walk you through a follow-up plan, vaccination schedules, growth monitoring, and any specialist follow-ups, before you head home.
Choosing a Hospital With Strong NICU Care
If you’re currently pregnant and haven’t thought about this yet, it’s worth asking your hospital about their NICU care in Pune setup before delivery, not because you expect to need it, but because roughly one in ten babies do, and having that support available at your own hospital, rather than needing a transfer, makes a real difference in an already stressful moment. At Momstory, part of Sahyadri Hospitals (a Manipal Hospitals group entity), our NICU team works alongside our obstetric department so that if extra care is ever needed, it happens without delay or transfer.
Talk to Our NICU Team
If your baby is currently in the NICU, or you’d simply like to understand what NICU support looks like at our hospital before delivery, our neonatology team is here to answer your questions directly. Get in touch with our NICU and paediatric care team at Momstory, we’re glad to walk you through it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does NICU admission mean something is seriously wrong with my baby?
Not necessarily. Many babies are admitted for short-term observation and go on to be completely healthy. NICU admission reflects a need for closer monitoring, not always a serious diagnosis. - Can I breastfeed my baby while they’re in the NICU?
In most cases, yes. Expressed breast milk is often given through a feeding tube if your baby can’t yet feed directly, and you’ll usually be supported to breastfeed or bottle-feed as soon as your baby is ready. - How do I know which level of NICU care my baby needs?
Your neonatologist will assess your baby’s gestational age, weight, and any complications to determine the right level of care, and should explain this to you clearly, don’t hesitate to ask. - Is it normal to feel guilty or anxious when my baby is in the NICU?
Yes, this is an extremely common and well-documented response among NICU parents. It doesn’t reflect anything you did wrong, and speaking openly with your care team about it can help. - Will my baby need follow-up care after being discharged from the NICU?
Often, yes, particularly for premature babies. Your pediatrician will typically set up a growth and development monitoring schedule after discharge.
