What you'll learn
- Common NICU terms and abbreviations
- What key equipment does (incubator, ventilator, CPAP, monitors)
- How to ask staff to explain things in plain language
Glossary of common terms
Staff often use abbreviations. Here are some you’ll hear often.
- NICU – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Incubator – The clear “cot” that keeps your baby warm and sometimes humid
- Ventilator – Machine that breathes for your baby when they can’t breathe well enough on their own
- CPAP – Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; helps keep airways open so your baby can breathe more easily
- Oxygen saturation (sats) – How much oxygen is in the blood; monitors show this as a percentage
- Apnoea – When breathing pauses; common in premature babies and often monitored
- Bradycardia (brady) – Slower heart rate; staff may mention “bradys” when describing episodes
- Feeds – Can mean breast milk, formula, or tube feeds (via a small tube into the nose or mouth)
- NG tube – Nasogastric tube; a thin tube through the nose into the stomach for milk
- IV – Drip into a vein for fluids or medicine
Equipment you’ll see
Incubator
The clear box that keeps your baby warm and protected. It can control temperature and humidity. You can still touch and hold your baby through the doors or during skin-to-skin when staff say it’s okay.
Ventilator
A machine that helps or does the breathing for your baby. Tubes go from the machine to your baby’s airway. Staff will explain the settings in simple terms if you ask.
CPAP
Small prongs or a mask that sit in or over the nose and blow gentle pressurised air to keep the airways open. It’s often a step down from the ventilator.
Monitors
Screens that show heart rate, breathing, and oxygen levels. Alarms can go off often; staff are used to them and will check. You can ask what each number means.
Common mistakes
Assuming you’re supposed to understand everything without asking. Staff expect parents to ask. Say: “Can you explain that in simple terms?” or “What does that number mean?”
Last updated: February 2025