Did your NICU have a weight limit? Weigh in here...

urbanflowerpot · August 2012

Our NICU had a 4 lb discharge limit as well as a few other rules (holding temperature, A/B-free for five days unless leaving on a monitor, etc).

Did yours?

I'm hearing of more super-teenies who got to come home and am curious what that was like. I felt like 4 lbs was so small!

We weren't discharged until around 6 lbs along with a monitor - DS loved to brady! ;D

Missa_g · August 2012

No weight limit. They had to be A/B free for five days, maintaining their temperature, eating their minimum requirements, gaining weight consistently, and pass a car seat test.

lawilbur · August 2012

No weight limit - just had to maintain temp, take all feedings from breast/bottle, no A/Bs, and be consistently gaining weight every day.

Super-teenies are very scary to bring home, but I'd imagine everyone from the NICU is at least a little scared to bring their LO home no matter what the weight! I know I would have been even if she had weighed more.

It's funny because I was having a conversation with my dad the weekend before she was discharged and I was telling him how I hoped she would be closer to 5lbs before we brought her home because bringing home a 4lb baby scared me! A week later we were leaving the NICU with a LO under 3lbs. Crazy.

ashk7 · August 2012

Same as pp no weight limit for us either, but they wouldn't move to an open air crib until they hit 3lbs though because it was a big todo with the nurses when the dr moved dd at just shy of 3lbs. But all the same requirements with feeding, weight gain, temp and no A or B's

ijustcantthinkrightnow · August 2012

Rule of thumb was 5lbs but they made exceptions if that as the only thing holding the LO back, in an approved carseat. It wasn't an issue for us because they were both closer to 8lbs.

Otherwise it was all feeds by mouth and 5 days Brady free.

pathfindermon · August 2012

I don't know if there was a weight limit (my lo was born at 5lbs 10ozs) but they have to pass a car seat test and be 7 days a/b free.

Sept30Madison · August 2012

Our NICU wouldn't move from isolette to open bed until 4 pounds, so I guess that in itself was a discharge limit. Julia was 5 pounds 3 oz when she came home.

nicole0066 · August 2012

Our LO was discharged at 4lb12oz. She did not have a NICU stay, but needed to pass her carseat test before being discharged.

sucrets4 · August 2012

Thanks for asking!

I never heard that mine did, but DD was 5lbs 5oz at birth.

I just wondered for a nearly FT kiddo like my friend, even with the IUGR, why keep her if everything else is going well?? It seems like a good guideline but not something that should be set in stone.

DrRx · August 2012

Our NICU didn't allow our LO to wear clothes until she was 3 pounds 5 ounces (1.5kg) and wouldn't allow the top to remain open on the isolette until she was almost 4 pounds (1.8kg), so I'm sure that they wouldn't let you leave if the weight was under 4 pounds. Adalyn left the NICU weighing 5 pounds 13 ounces.

Btw, cute title to the post... Smile

Mrs. Alice · August 2012

No weight limit but they had to meet the criteria of taking all feeds by breast or bottle for 48 hours, no A&Bs requiring stim for 7 days, and pass car seat test. They fudged a little on the A&Bs criteria for us since they were ready otherwise and sent us home with apnea monitors. Both were over 5 lbs at that point. My nurses told me that the neos at our NICU usually didn't like to send preemies, especially really early ones home before 37 weeks. I would think sending a preemie home so small and too soon is a huge liability for the NICU and neonatologist who discharges them.

katie4253 · August 2012

To be discharged? No. To be put in an open crib? Yes. He had to be at least 3lbs before he was placed in an open crib. So, that meant he was almost 4 when he came home because he still had feeding to master.

adrielegorburu · August 2012

Ours didnt have a specific weight requirement but they had to pass the car seat test and they checked the minimum weight on the seat so they wouldnt let us test until she reached at least 4 lbs. We went home at about 4 1/2 lbs and I thought she was too tiny to go home that size. I do know a FT baby that was 4lbs 10z and went home with no NICU stay now so I guess its not that small. When we left the NICU the nurses all cooed about how tiny she still was so I think she was below the average for our NICU

zoeyandsummersmom · August 2012

Urbanflowerpot - YGM

Our NICU didn't have a weight limit, but almost all of the babies were held until their EDD or close to it. When we were there, there was actually an 11lb baby in the NICU who was born at 11lbs. HUGE baby compared to all of the other little ones that were in there.

mrsemily08 · August 2012

Ours had to be 4 lbs to go in an open crib. My NICU baby came home at 4 lbs 4 oz.

TwinnyMommy · August 2012

Our NICU did have a weight limit of 4 lbs and they needed to pass the carseat challenge in order to go home. My twin boys went home at 4lbs 1 ounce and 4lbs 8 ounces. They were very small but I was grateful to have them home with my husband and I.

jcsntms06 · August 2012

No weight limit at our NICU. A/B free for 3 days. MUST pass car seat test though. Gaining weight, control body temperature too.

mbc2009 · August 2012

No weight requirement, just had to be gaining and taking all feeds by bottle and couldn't have any breathing issues. I think he had to eat a certain amount everyday too, but I can't remember what that was now.

lexismom1008 · August 2012

No weight requirement, but the things everyone else has said (all PO feedings, no As/Bs, able to maintain temp, gaining weight, etc). DS came home at 3lb 13oz.

Did your NICU have a weight limit? Weigh in here...

Re: Did your NICU have a weight limit? Weigh in here...

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