NICU babies!!!! ( intensive care )?

If they're born early they're often underdeveloped - they can't breath on their own because their lungs are underdeveloped (they're one of the last things to develop), they can't control their own body temperature (and need to be kept warm in an incubator), etc.

Another reason is if the mother had gestational diabetes and her blood sugar wasn't very well controlled towards the end of her pregnancy and leading up to labour. It's bad enough when an adult has uncontrolled blood sugars, but in newborns that often means having an extra week in the NICU.

Complications during labour, such as the cord being cause or for some other reasons blood supply being cut off to the baby may end up with the baby staying longer; they may have suffered brain damage.

Babies who need any kind of special care go to the NICU instead of the well baby nursery. So a premature baby who needs any type of intervention, a baby with a medical problem, or any other abnormality, or a baby who had a difficult birth and the aftereffects, all would go to the NICU. So a baby with a heart condition, breathing problems, genetic abnormalities or syndromes, or any other condition requiring special care would be there. Sometimes a full term baby needs to be in the NICU briefly for evaluation and goes down to the well baby nursery within a few hours. And sometimes a baby in the well baby nursery needs to be transferred to the NICU.

Ok, this is really simple. You have what can only be described as the most valuable thing on the planet. Only someone who has had their child die can truly explain what that feels like and even then, it would be trying to explain the universe to an ant. You can guess what it is like but you cannot truly comprehend it. Now, how much monetary value are you going to put on your child's life. How much are you willing to pay to keep your child alive. If you were to take him whilst he is still "at risk", what are you going to do when he does not wake up? The hospital do not keep a child any longer than they have (NICU places are usually a valuable resource that are used when needed and kept vacant where possible incase there is a need for tehm) Also keeping a child beyond what is necessary would breach it's human rights and would make a hospital liable to be sued, so they don't risk it. Yes you can take your child but you could face manslaughter charges if things go tragically wrong and a hospital would get an emergency court order to protect the child.

There breathing may not be good, their weight, they could have sleep apnea, (stop breathing while sleeping) doesnt eat right, a lot of different reasons, the library has some really good books on the NICU and the reasons babies go there...:)

i was in the nicu as a baby because i was born with an irregular heartbeat. they had to monitor it and do tests. its not just premies i was full term and almost 10 lbs.

My niece was a premie. 3lbs 2oz!!! She was 3 months early. She also had a murmur. She is 10 now, and perfectly healthy:) Although she is small for her size.

god for bid but some babies are born drug addicted due to parents use of drug so they would need to go to nicu for withdrawals