Parent-Reported Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of NICU Graduates in Their First Year: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Summary: When babies leave the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), how is their quality of life during that first year at home? To find out, doctors asked the parents of 108 NICU babies to use a mobile app to track their infant's health. They looked at seven different areas, including sleeping, feeding, breathing, and mood. The parents reported that feeding, sleeping, and interacting were the hardest parts of the first year. Babies who were born extremely early had the most trouble. Now, doctors know exactly which challenges to focus on so they can give extra help to parents during follow-up visits!