Without neonatal care millions of pre-term infants would not have a fighting chance. Although the schooling and training to become a neonatal nurse can be extensive, it doesn’t have to be. Due to the need for neonatal clinicians many people would choose it for the chance to save an infant’s life, the income or because they just simply want to help.
First, the job of a neonatal nurse is extremely important to a pre-term baby’s life. There are many problems that can be wrong with a pre-term baby. According to CFNC.com “A neonatal nurse may take care of a baby with multiple problems including drug-addicted babies and premature babies”. There are other factors putting a baby in the NICU for neonatal nurses to care for, such as HIV-positive babies and babies born with respiratory distress. They may also care for babies who are weak and fragile or need 24-hour nursing. Neonatal nurses have to monitor the babies closely and give special care immediately after birth. Neonatal nurses may also attend deliveries. Found on Payscale.com “Some nurses attend all deliveries and assist as well by hooking up laboring patients to monitors, starting IV’s, assisting with getting patients ready for C-sections, and assisting with general patient care. They may need to manage ventilators, evaluate vital signs, draw blood, and maintain IV lines. All of these tasks are important for a healthy delivery. All in all a neonatal nurses care is essential to the life of a pre-term baby.
Second, there are multiple reasons why a baby would need to be put into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The NICU is a special care unit for pre-term and sick babies. There are maternal factors, delivery factors, and baby factors that would put a baby in the NICU. Some of the maternal factors are ages younger than sixteen years old, older than 40 years, multiple pregnancies, or too little or too much amniotic fluid. The delivery factors are “fetal