Babies Premature Babies Why are babies placed in the NICU? By Parents Editors Parents Editors The Parents Editors byline means there is an experienced group of editors and journalists behind the scenes of the article. Learn more about the Parents team, our core values, and editorial guidelines. our editorial guidelines Published on July 2, 2015 Share Tweet Pin Email Q: How does a baby end up in the NICU? A: Most of us think the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is for preemies only, but newborn babies with all kinds of health problems are cared for there. Full-term newborns who've had surgery, suffer from an infection from their mother, had low Apgar scores, or went through a rough delivery are also NICU babies. If your doctor knows you're a candidate for a high-risk birth, he may have a team from the NICU present at your delivery to administer emergency care and take your baby there immediately. Originally published in American Baby magazine, November 2006. Updated 2009 Answered by American Baby Team Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit