NICU
Length of Stay
How long will my baby be in the NICU? That is a question many, many parents ask time and time again. The honest answer is that it completely depends on the specific condition of the infant and how they respond to medicine and treatment. Every baby is unique, so each will react in their own way while in the neonatal intensive care unit.
A neonatalogist can offer his or her best guess, usually a time frame ranging from days to weeks to months. Obviously, in extremely premature babies, parents can expect to be in the NICU for as many as 3 or 4 months.
Some preterm babies born at 33 weeks may be out of the NICU in 2-3 weeks, while others may stay as many as 8 weeks or longer. Again, it depends on how the baby responds to treatment and medicine in his or her own unique way.
The best suggestion is not to place hope on a set day. If that day comes and goes, it can be a huge let down, and cause unnecessary frustration. Just take it one day at a time, and trust that every day spent in the NICU is one more day your baby is growing healthier and stronger.