Sometimes, when a baby is ready to go home, there are still breathing issues that the parents can manage with oxygen outside the hospital. When this happens, someone will go through exactly what you need to do. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and express any anxieties you may have. Your team will encourage you and may be able to offer support you hadn’t considered. Let’s look at what happens when your baby goes home on medication or oxygen.

Why might my baby need to go home on oxygen?

The most common reason for premature babies going home on oxygen is the damage being on a ventilator or some other support has done to their lungs in the neonatal unit. If you’re unsure why oxygen is required, you are entitled to an explanation.

How long will my baby need oxygen?

Your baby will need oxygen until their lungs have healed. This may take a few months, but occasionally a baby will need extra respiratory support for a few years. This might sound scary, but parents become used to the oxygen and the equipment very quickly, and it is rarely a problem. If your baby will need oxygen, the medical team will arrange for the necessary equipment to be installed. There will also be community nurses to provide excellent support for you at home.

You will usually be given small oxygen cylinders that can go into a rucksack so you can get out and about with your baby. You can still go shopping or to the park and visit family and friends if your baby is on oxygen.

How do I set up and monitor my baby’s oxygen?

If your baby goes home on oxygen, it will all be arranged for you, but exactly how it is organised will depend on how your individual neonatal unit works. In some units, a company will be contacted to deliver the oxygen to your home and set it up so that it is ready for you to use. A nurse may go home with you and show you how to use the equipment and make sure that you understand how and when to administer the oxygen. She will also explain what to do if there is an emergency.

Alternatively, the company that set up the equipment will come and show you how it works. Monitoring-wise, babies aren’t usually sent home with an oxygen saturation monitor. When you’re getting ready to take your baby home, you should be looking at them to understand how they are, rather than checking a machine. Parents generally get used to this quite quickly. The unit staff will talk to you about who to contact if you have concerns about your baby’s oxygen.

How do I wean my baby from oxygen to air?

When the nurse or your community team thinks your baby is ready, they may bring a saturation monitor to your home so that the levels of oxygen in their blood can be recorded overnight. They will download this information onto a computer to see whether the oxygen your baby is having can be reduced or whether they can stop outright. Weaning can be a slow process or it can happen within a matter of days, depending on how you and your baby are coping.

However things progress, know that you are doing the best for your baby by managing their care independently, and remember to celebrate every milestone as a family.

What if my baby needs to go home on oxygen?

Believe it or not, most new parents get confident with their premature baby's oxygen quickly.