  Discharge Criteria
When can my baby go home?
Many nurseries do not have a specific weight criteria for discharge. Instead the baby must meet the following criteria:
- Be able to keep his/her body temperature normal in an open crib
- Be on complete breast and/or bottle feeds, taking in an adequate number of calories.
- Be gaining weight on all breast or bottle feeds
- Not have any apneas (pauses in breathing) causing slow heart rate (bradycardia) or change in color. Some nurseries send infants home on apnea monitors if they are having short self-limited apneas (no color change or severe bradycardias and not needing stimulation to breathe again).
- Most babies are off oxygen when discharged, but some infants who will need oxygen for a long time are sent home on oxygen.
The average baby meets these criteria about 2 to 4 weeks before their "due date", but there are big individual differences. Hospital stays vary from a few days to many months. Infants who stay beyond their "due date" usually are infants who:
- were on breathing machines and oxygen the longest
- were born with malformations
- needed surgery.
Return to Top
|
