When you become a parent to premature babies, you also become someone who's taking a crash course in specific medical terms for infant care.
The neonatologists and pediatric nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will use many different terms you may not understand when discussing your babies' medical conditions and the specialized care they're receiving.
Sometimes, it can feel like you're learning a totally different language. And, I guess, in a way, you are. You're learning what we'll call NICU-Speak.
Obviously, if you're ever at the hospital for Morning Rounds with the neonatologists and have questions, ask your babies' medical team anything you're unsure of.
But, as many parents of premature babies know, time spent in the NICU can be overwhelming (and emotionally exhausting), and it can be easy to forget things you want to ask until you're sitting on your own at home.
Here are the definitions of some common terms you'll likely hear if your twins or higher-order multiples have a stay in the NICU after they're delivered.
Medical Terms & Acronyms used in the NICU
Age and Gestation
Full-Term Baby: A baby born three weeks or less before their due date, or at a gestational age of 37 weeks or more.
Gestational Age: The number of completed weeks of pregnancy since the mother's first day of her last menstrual period.
Late Pre-Term Baby: An infant who's born at a gestational age of 34 to 36 weeks.
Premature (Preemie) Baby: An infant who's born more than three weeks before their due date. Also called Pre-Term. There are different classifications of pre-term babies, including Low Birthweight (under five pounds or 2.5 kilograms), Very Low Birthweight (under three pounds or 1.5 kilograms), and Extremely Low Birthweight (under 2.5 pounds or one kilogram).
Breathing and Airway
Apnea: A pause in breathing lasting more than 15 to 20 seconds.
Alveoli: Small air sacs in the lungs.
Chest Tube: A tube put into the area around the lung to drain the air or fluid that has collected there.
CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure through little tubes that fit into the nostrils of a baby's nose to help keep the air sacs in the lungs open, so it's easier for the baby to breathe. Also called Nasal CPAP.
Desaturation: A drop in blood oxygen levels.
Endotracheal Tube: A tube that goes from the mouth or nose into the windpipe (trachea).
Grunting: The sound a baby makes with each breath when they're working too hard to breathe. It sounds like they're grunting, "Ugh" every time they take a breath.
Intubation: An endotracheal (ET) tube put into a baby's windpipe through the mouth.
Nasal Flaring: A widening of a baby's nostrils every time they take a breath.
Nasal Cannula: A small, soft tube that's placed into a baby's nostrils to give them extra oxygen. Also called Nasal Prongs.
Pneumonia: An infection in the lung.
Pneumothorax: Air that's trapped inside of the chest between the chest wall and the lung, causing the lung to collapse.
Retractions: The pulling in of the ribs and the center of the chest with each breath. Retractions happen when a baby is working hard to breathe. They can happen after a baby graduates from the NICU if they are suffering from, say, Influenza or RSV.
Surfactant: A substance in the lungs that spreads like film over the air sacs (alveoli) to keep them open in order for air to move in and out of the lungs.
Ventilator: A breathing machine that gives oxygen into the baby's lungs.
Heart, Brain, and Vitals
APGAR Score: A quick physical check right after birth. APGAR checks for Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex response), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration (breathing effort).
Bradycardia: A slow heart rate, often dropping below 100 beats per minute.
Echocardiogram: A test that uses sound waves to show a picture of the heart.
Hematocrit: The percentage of red blood cells in the blood.
Hemoglobin: The part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen.
Hydrocephalus: Too much fluid in the normal fluid spaces of the brain (ventricles).
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy: Damage to cells in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) from inadequate oxygen.
Intraventricular Hemorrhage: Bleeding into or around the normal fluid spaces (ventricles) within the brain.
Pediatric and Neonatal Medical Leads: These are specialized medical lead wires that are designed to safely monitor a newborn's vitals such as their heart rate, rhythm, and breathing via electrocariodgraphy and impedance respiration. These miniature sensor cables are attached to pre-gelled, hypoallergenic skin electrodes that are placed on a baby.
Periventricular Leukomalacia: A softening of the brain near the fluid spaces (ventricles).
Seizures: A short period of too much nerve activity, causing the body to tense up and a baby to twitch or lose consciousness for a few moments.
Tachycardia: A faster-than-average heart rate.
Temperature Probe: A coated wire taped to a baby's skin to measure their temperature. It ensures the heater keeps a baby warmed to the same temperature all the time.
Ventricles: In the brain, these are the normal fluid spaces. In the heart, these are the two lower chambers.
Ventricular-Peritoneal Shunt: A tube that's placed into the ventricle of the brain and is connected to a tubing that drains extra fluid from the ventricles into a baby's tummy.
Feeding and Nutrition
Aspirates: Stomach contents that haven't yet been digested and are aspirated from the stomach through the feeding tube before a feeding.
Colostrum: The breast milk that's made in the first few days after you give birth. It has many cells that protect babies from infections.
Gavage Feeding: Feeding through a small tube that's placed into the mouth or nose and down into a baby's stomach. This is also called Tube Feeding.
Human Milk Fortifier: A powder added to breast milk to meet the special needs of premature babies.
Minimal Enteral Feeds: A feeding of a very small amount; not enough to provide nutrition. This is done to prepare the bowel of a premature baby.
NG Tube: A nasogastric tube that's passed through the nose to feed the baby.
NPO: Nil Per Os, a Latin abbreviation meaning nothing by mouth. This order means a baby can't receive any milk, formula, nor oral medications by mouth.
Premature Fortifiers: Special formulas designed to meet the additional needs of premature babies.
Prolacta: A human derived milk fortifier that comes as a liquid.
Rooting: Small, quick side-to-side movements of a baby's head when they're searching for a nipple to feed from. Their mouth will be open when they're rooting.
TPN: Total Parenteral Nutrition. It's a fluid containing sugar, vitamins, minerals, protein, and fat that's delivered to a baby by IV when normal feeding isn't possible yet.
Conditions and Care
Anemia: A low red blood cell count.
Bilirubin: A substance produced when the body breaks down red blood cells.
BPD: Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. A lung disease that can occur in babies who have had severe lung disease, or who were very premature. This condition can also be called Chronic Lung Disease.
CSF: Cerebral Spinal Fluid. The fluid around the brain and spinal cord.
Heel Stick: A tiny puncture or prick of the skin in the baby's heel using a small, sharp instrument to collect blood for testing. This testing can lead to a condition called Heel Stick Calcinosis that presents itself up to a year later. This condition usually resolves itself after several months.
Hernia: A bulge of a loop of bowel from the abdomen into an area where it normally wouldn't be. There are different types of hernias, with inguinal and umbilical being the most common in babies.
Incubator: A bed for a baby that gives warmth and humidity.
Isolette: An enclosed bed for a baby that offers warmth and helps with regulating their temperature.
Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and eyes caused by high bilirubin levels. Also called Hyperbilirubinemia. Jaundice is treated with a medical treatment called phototherapy, which uses special blue-green lights to lower high bilirubin levels in the blood.
Kangaroo Care: Holding the baby skin-to-skin for bonding and health. It has positive impacts for both babies and parents.
Lanugo: Fine, soft and downy hair that's often seen on the back and shoulders of babies who are born prematurely.
Meningitis: Inflammation of the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord.
NEC: Necrotizing Enterocolitis. A serious and potentially life-threatening intestinal disease that most affects premature babies in the hospital.
Ostomy: An opening from an area inside of the body to the outside.
PDA: Patent Ductus Arteriosus. A heart condition where a temporary blood vessel connecting the main aorta and pulmonary artery fails to close naturally after birth, which is very common in premature babies.
RDS: Respiratory Distress Syndrome. A lung disease that is partly caused by not having enough surfactant in the lungs to keep the air sacs (alveoli) open to allow air to move in and out.
Retinopathy of Prematurity: An abnormal growth of blood vessels in a baby's eye.
Sepsis: An infection. If a Septic Work-Up is done, this can include a series of tests that look for bacteria or viruses in the blood, urine, spinal fluid, and lungs.
Transfusion: Giving a baby fluid, such as blood, into a vein through an IV.
Umbilical Artery or Vein Catheter: A small tubing that's placed in a baby's artery or vein in the belly button. It's used to give fluid, medicine, and nutrition, and to take blood samples.
Umbilicus: The belly button.
Coming to terms
There are many more medical terms and acronyms than are listed here that you may encounter while your babies spend time in the NICU getting bigger and stronger.
But, hopefully, this list will answer some of your questions as a new parent to premature babies and provide some clarity on the things your small but mighty warriors are facing during their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Which of these terms did you already know? Are there any that we missed that should be added to the list? Let us know in the Comments section below or connect with us on Instagram to share your thoughts!
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