Parents and relatives
We work based on a family-centered approach to neonatal care. This means that parents should be able to be with their child as much as possible and be as involved as possible in their care. Some children are admitted for a short time, perhaps only a few hours, while others may need to stay for days, weeks, or even months.
Parents have different needs. Our staff in the neonatal intensive care unit will do our best to support the family through what can be a challenging time. You will get to know several nurses and doctors during your stay, but we try to ensure that everyone has a primary nurse who becomes especially familiar with you and your child.
The doctors will provide information about your child's condition, any changes in their condition, and the results of any tests or examinations.
Our unit is built around the principles of family-centered neonatal care and kangaroo care. We aim to support you in being together as much as possible from the moment your child is born until you go home.
What is Kangaroo care?
Kangaroo care means that you, as parents, have your child close to you, skin-to-skin, as soon as possible after birth. Research shows that direct skin contact with parents is the best for premature or sick newborns. This has many benefits for the child, and helps them adjust more easily to life outside the womb.
The parents’ presence influences the child’s sleep, well-being, safety, weight gain, and helps stabilize their body temperature. It also stimulates the child to suck.
The parents' embrace becomes a natural extension of pregnancy. The baby can hear the familiar voice and feel secure. Most parents also feel safest when they can be close to their child, and this provides comfort and security. The positive feelings for the child are strengthened. The closeness also makes it easier to understand the child’s signals and needs, such as when they want to nurse. Skin contact between mother and child also increases milk production.
Kangaroo care is considered a part of the child’s treatment, and we ask that you keep track of how many hours per day the child is skin-to-skin with you.
This is done on a special form, and the staff will show you how to fill it out.
How do we do it?
The baby lies naked, wearing only a diaper, skin-to-skin with you as much as possible throughout the day. The baby is placed in a position called the kangaroo position. The baby is positioned vertically on the mother’s or father’s chest, skin-to-skin. The arms and legs are bent, like in a frog position, and the head is turned to the side without straining the neck. The baby’s breastbone is at the same height as the parent’s breastbone.
The staff will assist you with planning, implementation, and support based on the baby’s needs and conditions.
Premature babies born between 28 and 35 weeks of pregnancy are always admitted to our unit.
Reactions to having a premature or sick child can vary. However, when working with newborns and their parents, we notice some common reactions.
The first reaction that something is wrong often comes when labor starts much earlier than expected. Suddenly, the baby is born, perhaps weeks or even months before the due date. Everything can feel distant and unreal. Often, parents feel paralyzed and unsure of what to do.
Having a sick baby who is taken away shortly after birth, or after a day or two on the maternity ward, is experienced as a shock for most. In such a state, it can be difficult to receive information and fully understand what the staff is saying. We are aware of this and know that you need time and repeated information.
Gradually, you will start to understand what has happened. This is often when the tears and despair come. You may feel disappointed that things turned out this way and worried about how your child will do. It is common to wonder how much you should allow yourself to bond with the baby.
Please feel free to talk to us about these thoughts. We will try to help and support you so that your time in neonatal intensive care is as positive as possible for both you and your baby.
Good communication between the staff and parents can help prevent unnecessary worry. Ask us if anything is unclear. Let us know if there is anything you're not happy with. We will do our best to foster understanding and comfort in the situation and ensure good interaction between parents and the baby.
Most babies are fed 7-8 times a day, but this can vary. Feeding times are flexible and will be arranged with the person caring for the child.
We will support you in establishing good breastfeeding routines as early as possible for both mother and baby.
In addition to breastfeeding, it may be necessary to feed the baby with a cup or a feeding tube until the baby is able to feed on their own.
Babies with a birth weight under 2500 grams will receive additional vitamins and iron supplements.
Congratulations on your grandchild!
As grandparents, you may find that the joy of having a grandchild is mixed with concerns about the baby’s health and how your daughter or son is coping with having a premature or sick child.
We have gathered some advice on what you, as a grandparent, can do to support both the baby and the parents. For more information, see Home Follow-up for Newborns - Helse Fonna HF.
It’s important for both parents and babies to have a good daily routine. We encourage parents to be up and ready for the day before 9:00 AM, as this is when the daily routines begin, and the doctors will start their visits.
Here’s a breakdown of the daily schedule:
- Shift Change: 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM
- Doctor’s Visit: 9:30 AM and onward (may vary)
- Quiet Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (staff meeting/report)
- Shift Change: 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
- Shift Change: 10:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Quiet Time
The staff holds a meeting/report session every day from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. We encourage as many staff members as possible to participate in this time. During this period, we ask that you stay with your baby. We will be available if needed.
This routine helps keep things organized and ensures that your baby gets the best care possible throughout the day.
Visits should always be arranged in advance with the nurse and should preferably take place between 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM.
Do not visit if you are sick
Many of the babies here are very vulnerable to infections. To reduce the risk of infection, all visitors must be healthy. This means no infections, colds, flu, or vomiting/diarrhea. Parents/visitors with cold sores (herpes) should not enter the unit. Antiviral treatment should be started, and the sore must be dry before returning to the unit.
Keep visits short
Visitors, other than parents and siblings, should only stay briefly with the baby. Longer visits can be arranged by agreement. We also ask that you limit the number of visitors to two at a time. This is to ensure a calm environment for the babies. Outer clothing must be removed before entering the unit. We have lockers in the hallway, and you can borrow a padlock.
Children under 7 years
We do not allow visits from children who are not siblings. If siblings are under 7 years old, you must arrange the visit with the nurse beforehand. Please prepare siblings for what they will see in the unit so they know what to expect.
Noise and scents
Remember, you are entering the babies’ bedroom. Please speak softly and gently, as noise is a significant sensory stimulus for the baby and can be overwhelming. We ask that visitors use fragrance-free products, as strong scents can also be stressful for the baby.
We have 6 incubator rooms on the unit. Normally, there is one baby per room, but if there are many babies admitted, the rooms may be shared.
Premature and sick newborns are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases. Good hygiene is therefore essential. In a hospital environment, there are more and more resistant bacteria than at home. Some bacteria are more aggressive and can lead to serious infections.
The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) uses a lot of technical equipment. It can be overwhelming for parents and visitors to see babies with tubes and wires attached to their bodies, and to hear alarms constantly going off.
However, the equipment is crucial for monitoring and treating the babies. It provides important information about the baby's condition, allowing us to continuously observe changes and take necessary actions.
Parents have the right to all information about their own child. The staff are bound by confidentiality and cannot answer questions about other children. We also cannot respond to phone calls from family and friends without consent from the child's parents.
Please inform us if anyone will visit your child when you are not present.
You have electronic access to your child's medical records via Helsenorge – din helse på nett - Helsenorge
Both parents are entitled to meals while their child is hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Cafeteria
Parents can use the cafeteria located on the 3rd floor of the children's department. Here, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served.
Late Night Snack
A late-night snack is placed in the fridge on the kitchenette outside the family rooms around the same time as evening snack is served in the cafeteria.
Dinner
Dinner orders are placed daily based on how many people need dinner. Parents are responsible for writing their names on the board on the wall in the hallway leading to the unit each day.
Each morning, around 9:00 AM, the dinner orders are placed, and then the previous day's orders are wiped out so parents can add their names for the following day. A dinner menu is posted every Sunday so parents can see what’s on offer for the week.
Kitchenette
There is a small kitchenette outside Family Room 6, which includes a microwave, coffee machine, refrigerator, and dishwasher. Parents can use the kitchenette freely, but they are responsible for keeping it tidy, as there is no kitchen staff to maintain the space.
If you use the dishwasher, make sure to start it and remove the clean dishes afterward. Plates, glasses, cutlery, etc., must always be returned to the cafeteria.
Cafeteria Opening Hours (3rd Floor)
- Breakfast: 08:00 – 09:30
- Lunch: 11:30 – 13:00
- Dinner: 14:15 – 15:45
- Evening Snack: 18:30 – 19:30
Cafeteria on the 6th Floor
When using the cafeteria on the 6th floor, parents must pay for their meals.
- Opening Hours:
- Weekdays: 09:30 – 15:15
- Weekends and holidays: Closed
Narvesen Kiosk on the 1st Floor
- Opening Hours:
- Weekdays: 06:30 – 21:00
- Saturdays: 09:00 – 21:00
- Sundays: 10:00 – 21:00
If you are traveling to or from government-approved treatment, you may be entitled to reimbursement for necessary travel expenses.
Pasientreiser coordinates the transportation of patients to and from treatment at the hospital.
You can contact Patient Travel at phone number 05515 or visit Pasientreiser - Helse Fonna HF for more information.
You may be entitled to care benefits (pleiepenger) if:
- You are a member of the National Insurance Scheme (Folketrygda). If you live in Norway, you are typically a member of Folketrygda (nav.no).
- You are caring for the child during the period for which you are applying.
- The child has been treated or examined at a hospital or another specialist healthcare service.
- You are with the child while it is hospitalized, or you are at home because the child needs care full-time.
- You have been employed for at least 4 weeks immediately before the start of the care benefit period (see exceptions below).
- You have at least 20% absence from work.
- Your income is at least half of the basic amount (grunnbeløpet) in the National Insurance Scheme (nav.no).
Multiple Caregivers
Two caregivers can apply for care benefits simultaneously. As a general rule, both parents are entitled to care benefits when a child is hospitalized, provided both parents are present at the hospital. The same applies if the child is receiving follow-up care from the Neonatal Home Care Team (NAST) at home.
Doctor’s Evaluation
The doctor will assess whether one or both caregivers will be needed to care for the child during the hospital stay and at home.
To qualify for care benefits, you must have custody of the child (meaning the child lives with you).
Other caregivers besides parents, such as grandparents, aunts or uncles, adult siblings, other family members, or close relatives, may also be entitled to care benefits if they have full or partial custody of the child.
Which expenses are covered?
Care benefits are calculated in the same way as sick pay (nav.no). The calculation basis is determined based on your documented income at the time you apply for the care benefits.
Income up to 6 times the basic amount in the National Insurance Scheme (nav.no) is included in the calculation. You will receive care benefits for 5 days a week, but not for Saturdays and Sundays. Your employer can advance the care benefits and request reimbursement from NAV.
What happens next?
A doctor at the hospital will complete the form, which you can access via Helsenorge – Your Health Online. Follow the instructions provided there, and the process will proceed as planned.
Application deadline
NAV can grant care benefits for up to 3 months before the month you apply for. For example, if you are applying for care benefits for June, NAV must receive your application by September at the latest.
For more detailed information about care benefits, visit www.nav.no, or call NAV at 55 55 33 33.