Solutions
Graduation from the NICU is a new chapter, not the end of care.
Former premature infants often go home weeks before their due dates, sometimes still on oxygen or tube feeds, without the tools to succeed there. Firstday Healthcare bridges that gap.
Benefits of Firstday Healthcare
Former premature infants are commonly discharged weeks before their due dates, often under five pounds, and sometimes still on oxygen or gavage feeds, without the support to succeed at home.
Parents know their infant is not the same as a term baby. They are often less aware of the higher mortality, readmissions, and ongoing medical needs compared with full-term infants.
At Firstday Healthcare we offer assistance that recognizes those challenges and the tools to navigate them.
Parents know their infant is not the same as a term baby. They are often less aware of the higher mortality, readmissions, and ongoing medical needs compared with full-term infants.
At Firstday Healthcare we offer assistance that recognizes those challenges and the tools to navigate them.
Decreased parental anxiety
According to the March of Dimes, a quarter of parents who had a baby in the NICU have PTSD symptoms at home, including flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and physical symptoms when reminded of the trauma.
Priyanka Chopra described the same fear after her daughter Malti spent more than 100 days in the NICU: in the hospital you can see the heartbeat on the monitor. At home, without one, sleep disappears.
Firstday gives overwhelmed parents the reassurance that vital signs are being watched, and that neonatal clinicians who know premature infants are available day and night.
Priyanka Chopra described the same fear after her daughter Malti spent more than 100 days in the NICU: in the hospital you can see the heartbeat on the monitor. At home, without one, sleep disappears.
Firstday gives overwhelmed parents the reassurance that vital signs are being watched, and that neonatal clinicians who know premature infants are available day and night.
Fewer ER visits and hospital readmissions
It is 2 a.m. and your former premature infant starts coughing. The night nurse on the phone is someone you have never met, so the instinct is to go to the ER to be safe.
That is often the least desirable option for an infant with a fragile immune system. Firstday offers an alternative to a middle-of-the-night ER visit, with monitoring and care at home that can reduce readmissions and exposure to RSV, COVID-19, and other infections.
That is often the least desirable option for an infant with a fragile immune system. Firstday offers an alternative to a middle-of-the-night ER visit, with monitoring and care at home that can reduce readmissions and exposure to RSV, COVID-19, and other infections.
Earlier NICU discharge
Without tools for home, it is often easier for neonatologists to keep infants longer. An estimated 25 percent of NICU days are not even intensive-level care.
By partnering with the discharging neonatologist, Firstday offers a plan so the team is not sending an infant home alone, which can support an earlier discharge.
By partnering with the discharging neonatologist, Firstday offers a plan so the team is not sending an infant home alone, which can support an earlier discharge.