The newborn intensive care environment can be foreign and quite daunting for new parents. Various machines, monitors, drips and alarms sounding can be intimidating and unnerving. Seeing many small and unwell babies (including your own if you are in there) can be upsetting and bewildering.
The following information is aimed at describing the environment of a typical newborn intensive care nursery. We hope to prepare parents for what they can expect, particularly if they believe there is a chance their baby will need to be transferred to one. It may also assist parents to understand the intensive care environment, if their baby is already there (or has spent some time there after the birth). If your baby is premature, you may also wish to read
premature babies.
Room temperature
Lighting
Noise
Baby's environment
'Kangaroo' care
Room temperature
The rooms of intensive care nurseries are air conditioned to keep the temperature comfortably warm and stable. This is aimed at avoiding any dramatic changes in a small baby's temperature. Unwell or premature babies can have trouble adapting to fluctuating temperatures and even
term babies can become quite unwell if their body temperature becomes too low (this is discussed in more depth in Class 10,
temperature regulation).
The warm constant room temperature in the nursery environment also helps to keep the baby's temperature stable when they are taken out of their special 'humidicrib' or 'open bed' to be cuddled, bathed, fed or weighed. It also helps them to adjust when they are ready to leave this warmer environment, into a normal cot. The beds used to help maintain the stability of an unwell or premature baby's temperature can include: