As your baby is preparing to leave the hospital, you will be involved in the discharge planning days in advance. The length of time that your baby will stay in the NICU will depend on their reason for admission and what gestational age your baby was at birth. For your baby to be ready to be discharged from the NICU they must be taking all of their feeds by mouth, (either by breast or bottle) they are continuing to gain weight and that they are 'spell' free. Generally, this occurs around your original due date for your baby.
The NICU team will have a discharge meeting with before it is time to go home. You will be informed of any follow-up appointments that your baby may need such as at the Special Infant Clinic, Child Development Centre, or the Eye clinic. You will also be provided with a copy of the discharge information for you and your family doctor or health-care provider.
For breastfeeding mothers, you will be able to stay on Connell 7 for three days prior to your baby’s discharge in order to promote around the clock breastfeeding. This will allow for the NICU team to assess if your baby is ready to go home. Please note, Connell 7 is available to all patient families and is a first come, first serve bases. These rooms can’t be pre-booked.
All parents have the option of staying in our Care By Parent room, located across the hall from the NICU for one or two nights. This allows for your baby to stay with you as a family unit. The goal is for you to provide all the care to your baby to help improve your comfort level.
Follow-up appointments at Hotel Dieu Hospital will also be made for your baby. These appointments are based on the gestational age of your baby at birth, birth weight, their course of stay and are booked at the discretion of the attending staff.
Also don't forget, before discharge, your baby must have a approved infant car seat for the ride home.
After your child's discharge from hospital, please let us know if you have any compliments, comments or concerns and take the time to complete our patient satisfaction survey.
