preemie NICU discharge weight?

UrAnIdiot

i am curious how much your preemies weighed upon NICU discharge. did your hospital have policies about not discharging before a certain weight?

mine didn't have specific weight limits for discharge. in order to come home, babies had to:

- take all feedings by bottle/breast for at least 48 hours without any problems

- be able to regulate and maintain body temperature

- pass carseat test

my babies came home very small. chloe weighed 3 lb 14 oz and carter weighed 4 lb 3 oz. a lot of people i have talked to are shocked to hear they were allowed to come home at those weights! they have not had any problems and have gained over 2 lbs each in the past month since being home, so obviously the decision to discharge them wasn't a bad one... was your NICU the same or were they more strict about weight??

mrspaul07

Ours had the same guidelines except for the feeding and had to be at least 36 weeks.  They only had to nipple every feed for 24 hours.  DD was 4 lbs. the day she came home.

~Baby1~

Our NICU didn't have a weight requirment either.  He just had to be feeding from bottle/nipple, pass car seat test, and have very few if any A/B's.  He was around 4lbs when he came home.

here4u

Our NICU guidelines were no desats/brady's for 48 hours and nipple all 8feedings I think for 24 hours.  Sophie came home at exactly 5 lbs.  They tried to discharge her twice before she actually came home but at the last minute she would have a desat and they would have to restart the countdown.

SBMBride406

KittyCatRollerMoM:

in order to come home, babies had to:

- take all feedings by bottle/breast for at least 48 hours without any problems

- be able to regulate and maintain body temperature

- pass carseat test

We had the same guideline except the babies also had to be 35 weeks and have had no bradys for 48 hours.

Marino was a little under 5 lbs when we brought him home.

Beccaboo0713

our weight limit is 4 lbs 10 oz

you have to pass a sleep study

you have to pass a carseat test

you have to nipple all of your feedings in a 24 hour period

LUCKY41010

our ds weight was 3lbs 11 oz when he came home

ijack

ours was pretty much the same but they wouldn't move them into an open crib until they were 4lbs.

UrAnIdiot

i feel a lot better about mine being so small when they came home now... i can always count on you ladies to ease my preemie worries!

ijack

damn! our NICU made the kids go FIVE days without a brady

tmp-303869625008161

DS was 7 lbs 13 oz when he came home. He grew like crazy in the NICU, but it took a long time to get his O2 requirements down. He's 9 months now and still on 1/4 liter during the day and 1/2 at night. Apnea was never a big problem for him. He had trouble keeping his sats up and learning to nipple. He was a rockstar breastfeeder, but would brady with a bottle. He was so big when he left the NICU the nurses were all laughing because they had to give him a full vial of Synagis. They'd never had to use an entire vial before.

meldoo2002

Ours didn't have rules regarding weights either.  They had to be brady free for 5+ days, maintain their temps, all feedings by mouth, and consistently gaining weight.

Our boys both came home at 4lbs.15oz.

mek10976

We were told that DS needed to do the things you mentioned above and that they really wanted him to reach 5lbs. before leaving, but I don't think the weight was a must.  DS was 5lbs. 7oz.

jehprb

No age or weight requirements at ours but he had to be better with body temperature, brady-free for 72 hours, pass the carseat test, take 24hours worth of feedings 100% from bottle and 100% from either myself or DH. 

We were also required to do an overnight stay with him - they gave us a private room down the hall from the NICU, unhooked all the monitors, and set us free as it were...sort of a trial run for going home the next morning :-)  It was nice to have our first night alone with him knowing that we weren't REALLY alone - it was a nice transition to have between the NICU and home.

 He was 5lbs, 8oz at discharge and 30 days (adjusted) old.

TripMomma

I don't think a certain weight was one of the goals we had to meet. Hayden came home first at 26 days old and she was like 4lbs 15oz. Lily came home after 33 days and weighed 5lbs 2oz, Xan was last home at 35 days old and weighed 5lbs 7oz.

TriciaJoy

Robbie was 4lb 7oz.

Our requirements were:

Able to eat on his own
breathing & A&Bs under control
able to control his own temperature

lstaylor73

Cameron came home at 6lbs 2oz and Evan came home less than 18hrs later at 3lbs 4oz.  I was told it depends on how the baby had done, how the parents cope and are observed by the NICU staff and doctors, and also how your insurance is, as well as how crowded the NICU is - pretty much in that order.  They have to think you are capable of dealing, knowing when you're out of your league and can get them to the hospital as well as how stable your little one has been the two weeks prior.

jehprb

I meant to say 30 days actual in my post above -  DS was born 32w3d and stayed exactly 30 days in the NICU.

mrs.amandamm

The only weight requirement was to have a positive growth curve... something that kept Addie in for a few days longer than she was supposed to be.... when she went home, she weighed just under 5 lbs.

There were other requirements, but that was the weight one

SWMcFarland

ijack:

damn! our NICU made the kids go FIVE days without a brady

Ours was SEVEN!!

thefarmchick

Our was the same

TnP102304

Our NICU had the same requirements as yours.  DD came home at 3 lbs 15 oz.

lemen99

I don't know of any minimum weight limit, but it wasn't an issue for us because DS was 8 lb 5 oz when he came home.  He was on his OWN schedule. lol.

Another requirement to go home was steady weight again while nippling all feeds (our son could take all by bottle but had trouble gaining).

Also no Brady's that required stimulation to resolve for 5 days in a row.  No Apnea spells.

 

linday121

The NICU that my boys are in has a very similar policy.  There really isn't a weight that they have to reach- they just have to be consistently gaining.  Right now my boys also have to conquer the apnea/brady's while eating.  They are getting much better.

Glad to hear that your babies are gaining weight like champs!!!!!

ardilla

While my twins didn't spend any time in the NICU, they were allowed to come home with me after being born at 36w0d and weighing 4 lbs 5 oz and 3 lbs 14 oz.