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Helping Hands for NICU Moms

Questions to Ask the NICU Team (Printable List)

In the NICU, the questions come at 2 a.m. and vanish the moment the doctor walks in. Print this list, keep it at the bedside, and check things off as you go.

By Helping Hands for NICU Moms · Last reviewed

Key takeaways

  • Write questions down as soon as you think of them — it’s hard to remember them once you’re face to face with the team.
  • There’s no such thing as too many questions. It’s OK to ask the same thing again until it makes sense.
  • Rounds and family meetings are good times to ask. If you miss rounds, the nurse can update you or pass questions along.
  • The social worker or case manager can help with housing, insurance, support groups, and planning for discharge.

This page is general information, not medical advice. Every baby is different — talk with your baby’s NICU team or pediatrician about what is right for your family.

How to use this list

You are a vital part of your baby’s care team, and asking questions is part of that job. UW Medicine’s NICU tells parents they can’t ask too many questions, and to ask the same one again and again until the answer makes sense. Its best tip: don’t wait — write questions down when you think of them, because it’s very hard to remember what you wanted to ask during rounds.

  • Bring it to rounds. Many NICUs hold daily rounds where the team reviews your baby’s night and sets the plan, and parents are encouraged to join. Saint Alphonsus, for example, encourages families to take part in daily care discussions. Ask your unit when rounds happen.
  • Can’t be there? Ask the nurse for an update, or ask them to pass your questions to the doctor. You can also call the unit for updates.
  • Ask for a family meeting if your baby’s condition changes or new specialists get involved.
  • Don’t know who someone is? Ask. Team members change during a stay, and it’s fine to ask each person their role.
  • Pick what matters today. You don’t need to ask everything at once. Star two or three and start there.

Hearing words you don’t know? Our NICU glossary explains the common ones, and what to expect in the NICU walks through the equipment and the team.

Understanding your baby’s condition

  1. Why is my baby in the NICU?
  2. What is the biggest concern for my baby right now?
  3. How did my baby do overnight? What changed since yesterday?
  4. What signs of progress should we be watching for?
  5. Can you explain that again, in plain words? (Ask as many times as you need.)

The care plan, tests, and medicines

  1. What is my baby’s care plan for today? What treatments is my baby getting?
  2. What medicines is my baby getting, and why?
  3. Do any of these medicines have side effects we should know about?
  4. What tests are planned? Why does my baby need them, and when will we hear the results?
  5. Are there any decisions coming up that we’ll need to help make?
  6. How long do you expect my baby to be here?

Equipment, monitors, and alarms

  1. What is each wire, tube, and monitor for?
  2. What do the numbers on the monitor mean for my baby?
  3. What do the different alarms mean? What should I do when one goes off?
  4. What kind of breathing support does my baby have, and what’s the next step down?

Feeding and breast milk

  1. How is my baby being fed right now, and how much?
  2. Will I be able to breastfeed or bottle-feed my baby? If so, when and how?
  3. If I want to pump, can I meet with a lactation consultant? How do I store and bring in my milk?
  4. Is my baby gaining weight the way you hoped?
  5. When can I be here to help with a feeding?

Being with and caring for your baby

  1. Can I touch or hold my baby today? What kind of touch is best right now?
  2. When can we do skin-to-skin (kangaroo care)?
  3. Can I help with diaper changes, feedings, baths, or taking my baby’s temperature?
  4. What are my baby’s cues that they’re stressed — or ready to interact?
  5. Can I stay with my baby? Can I sleep here?
  6. What can I bring from home? Who else is allowed to visit, and when?
  7. What should I do to help prevent infections when I visit?

Staying informed and working with the team

  1. Who is on my baby’s care team? Who is in charge of my baby’s care today?
  2. When are rounds? Can I join in person, or listen in by phone if I can’t be here?
  3. If I miss rounds, who should I ask for an update?
  4. What is the best number to call for an update, day or night?
  5. Can we schedule a family meeting with the team?

Support for you and your family

Many of these are best asked of the unit’s social worker or case manager.

  1. What services does the hospital offer to families?
  2. Is there short-term housing nearby, such as a Ronald McDonald House?
  3. How do we find out what our health plan covers? How do we apply for benefits or financial help?
  4. Is there a support group for NICU parents?
  5. Is there a counselor who can help us with hard decisions or hard days?
  6. What advice do you give parents for coping with a NICU stay?

Getting ready to go home

  1. What does my baby need to be able to do before going home?
  2. How should we prepare? Are there special instructions for caring for my baby at home?
  3. Will my baby need special equipment or monitoring? Who will teach us to use it?
  4. Should we learn infant CPR?
  5. Can we have visitors at home? Are there precautions we should take?
  6. Is my baby protected against RSV this season? Will they be eligible in a second season?
  7. When should my baby see a pediatrician? Will they need other doctors or a follow-up clinic?
  8. How will we know if our baby needs to see a doctor? Who do we call with questions once we’re home?

My own questions

Use these lines for anything else on your mind — and the answers you get.

More for the road ahead: kangaroo care, pumping for a NICU baby, caring for your mental health, RSV after the NICU, and bringing your NICU baby home. Browse all Treasure Valley NICU resources.

We started Helping Hands for NICU Moms because of Maverick, who was in the NICU and later, after catching RSV at home, the PICU. Every Mother’s Day we bring care baskets to NICU moms here in the Treasure Valley. Read our story or help fill a basket.

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We’re a small local nonprofit. Every year we deliver care baskets to NICU moms in Boise and the Treasure Valley — and every gift helps us reach one more mom.

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Sources

  1. Nemours KidsHealth — Questions to ask when your baby is in the NICU
  2. Nemours KidsHealth — When your baby’s in the NICU
  3. UW Medicine — Becoming an advocate for your baby (PDF)
  4. Nationwide Children’s Hospital — 5 questions every NICU parent should ask
  5. Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters — Staying informed in the NICU
  6. March of Dimes — NICU staff
  7. March of Dimes — Your baby’s NICU stay
  8. March of Dimes — Common NICU equipment
  9. Saint Alphonsus — Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)

More NICU resources

NICU levels of care, explained

What Level II, III, and IV NICUs mean under American Academy of Pediatrics definitions, and the level each Treasure Valley hospital lists for its NICU.

What to expect in the NICU

Your baby was just admitted to the NICU. What the room, the monitors, the care team, and the daily routine look like — and how parents can be part of their baby’s care.

NICU glossary

Apnea, brady, CPAP, gavage, PICC, bili lights — the words you hear in the NICU, explained simply so you can follow along at your baby’s bedside.