Neonatal Unit Equipment Explained: A Parent’s Guide to the Wires, Machines and Monitors Around Your Baby

Walking into a neonatal unit for the first time can bring so many different emotions.

Parents may feel anxious, scared and overwhelmed. They may be shocked by how noisy the unit is, surprised by how much equipment there is, and frightened to see their baby surrounded by wires, lines and monitors — with the constant beeping in the background.

It can take a while to feel comfortable in a neonatal unit.

But something I often notice is just how much parents learn along the way. I sometimes joke with parents that by the time their baby is discharged, they could probably write a book about neonatal care themselves!

If you are at the beginning of that journey, the first thing I want you to know is that we are there to support you.

No question is silly and there is no wrong time to ask. Looking after your baby also means supporting you, explaining what is happening and helping you understand the care your baby is receiving.

The second thing I want you to know is that a lot can change.

What you see on the day your baby is admitted may feel incredibly scary, but it won't necessarily look the same tomorrow, next week or further down the line. With the right care and support, things can change and improve — and we're there to help your baby through each stage.

So, in this article, I want to explain some of the neonatal unit equipment you may see around your baby — what it is, what it does and why your baby might need it — without all the medical jargon.

Monitoring your baby

One of the first things you may notice is just how many wires seem to be attached to your baby.

Although it can look intimidating, many of these are simply helping the neonatal team continuously monitor things such as your baby’s heart rate, breathing and oxygen levels.

Saturation probe

A saturation probe is usually wrapped around your baby’s hand or foot and you may notice a small red light coming from underneath it.

It continuously measures the oxygen saturation in your baby’s blood (often called their “sats”) as well as their pulse rate.

The probe itself does not hurt. Staff will regularly check the skin underneath it and move it between different hands and feet to protect your baby’s delicate skin.

ECG leads

Those little sticky pads on your baby’s chest with wires attached are ECG leads.

They allow the monitor to continuously measure your baby’s heart rate and can also help monitor their breathing.

Depending on the type used in your neonatal unit, they may look like small stickers or pads with coloured wires attached.

Blood pressure cuff

Babies can have their blood pressure checked too — their cuff is just much smaller than ours.

A tiny cuff is placed around your baby’s arm or leg and briefly inflates while the machine takes a measurement.

Some babies only need occasional blood pressure checks, while babies who are more unwell may need their blood pressure monitored more frequently.

Temperature monitoring

Premature and unwell babies can sometimes find it difficult to maintain their body temperature, so we monitor it regularly.

Depending on the baby and the neonatal unit, this may be done using a thermometer placed under the baby's arm or with a temperature probe placed against the skin.

For babies being cared for in an incubator, a skin temperature probe may sometimes be used to help the incubator regulate its temperature according to the baby's needs.

Helping your baby breathe

Breathing equipment can be one of the more daunting things to see around your baby.

There are several different types of breathing support used in neonatal care. Which one your baby needs will depend on factors such as their gestation, condition and how much help they need to breathe.

High-flow nasal cannula

High-flow therapy provides warmed and humidified air, sometimes with additional oxygen, through small prongs that sit inside your baby’s nostrils.

You may hear staff refer to this as “high flow”, or you may hear the name of a particular system such as Vapotherm.

Babies receiving high flow are still breathing for themselves, but the flow can help support their breathing and reduce the effort required.

CPAP

CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.

It provides gentle continuous pressure through small nasal prongs or a mask. This helps keep your baby’s lungs and airways open while they continue to breathe themselves.

Seeing the hat, tubing and nasal interface used for CPAP can make it look like a lot of equipment for such a tiny baby, but every part has a purpose.

Ventilator

Some babies need more breathing support and may require a ventilator.

A breathing tube is passed through the baby’s mouth or nose into their trachea (airway) and connected to the ventilator. The ventilator can then support some or all of your baby’s breathing.

There are different types and modes of ventilation, and the neonatal team will adjust the support according to your baby’s individual needs.

Neopuff

You may notice a Neopuff near your baby’s cot or incubator.

A Neopuff is a device that allows trained staff to give your baby controlled breaths through a face mask or breathing tube. It may be used if your baby is not breathing, is not breathing effectively, or needs some extra help with their breathing.

The device allows us to control the pressure given with each breath, helping us provide breathing support safely and consistently.

You may see a Neopuff in delivery rooms as well as on neonatal units.

Feeding your baby

Feeding is another area where neonatal babies sometimes need a little extra help.

Babies who are premature or unwell may not yet have the strength, coordination or stamina to take all of their milk from the breast or bottle.

NG or OG tube

A nasogastric (NG) tube is a thin, soft tube that passes through the nose and down into the stomach. An orogastric (OG) tube does the same thing but passes through the mouth.

Milk can be given through the tube when a baby isn’t yet able to take everything they need orally.

Having a feeding tube does not necessarily mean that your baby cannot breastfeed or bottle-feed. Many babies gradually practise feeding by mouth while still receiving some of their milk through their tube.

Cannulas, long lines, medicines and fluids

You may also notice tubes entering your baby’s hand, foot, arm or leg.

These allow the neonatal team to give fluids, medicines or nutrition directly into your baby’s bloodstream when needed.

Cannula

A cannula is a small, short plastic tube placed into a vein, often in a baby’s hand, foot, arm or leg.

It may be used to give antibiotics, fluids, medicines or other treatments.

Because neonatal veins are incredibly small and fragile, cannulas sometimes need replacing during a baby’s stay.

Long line

A long line is a longer, very fine tube inserted into a vein and carefully advanced until its tip sits in a larger central vein.

It can remain in place for longer than a standard cannula and is particularly useful when a baby needs intravenous treatment or nutrition for a longer period.

Infusion and syringe pumps

The pumps beside your baby’s incubator may look complicated, but their job is essentially to deliver very precise amounts of fluid or medication at a controlled rate.

This is particularly important in neonatal care because babies are so small that even tiny volumes matter.

Keeping your baby warm

Babies born prematurely have less body fat and immature temperature regulation, which can make it difficult for them to maintain their temperature.

This is why keeping babies warm is such an important part of neonatal care.

Incubator

An incubator provides a warm, controlled environment around your baby.

The temperature can be adjusted according to your baby’s needs, and some incubators can also provide additional humidity — particularly helpful for extremely premature babies with very delicate skin.

Although the walls of an incubator can initially feel like a barrier between you and your baby, parents can still be involved in their baby’s care. As your baby becomes stable enough, this can include things such as nappy changes, mouth care, comfort holding and skin-to-skin.

Heated cot (hot cot)

As your baby becomes better able to maintain their temperature, they may move from an incubator into a heated cot, sometimes called a hot cot.

The cot has a special heated mattress that provides additional warmth while your baby is cared for in an open cot. The temperature of the mattress can be adjusted depending on your baby’s needs and gradually reduced as they become better able to maintain their own temperature.

For many parents, seeing their baby move from an incubator into a cot can feel like a lovely milestone in their neonatal journey.

Phototherapy

If your baby develops jaundice, you may see a bright blue light positioned over their cot or incubator. This is called phototherapy.

Jaundice happens when a substance called bilirubin builds up in the blood, causing the skin and whites of the eyes to look yellow.

Phototherapy uses a special type of blue light that changes the bilirubin into a form that your baby’s body can get rid of more easily.

Your baby will usually wear special eye protection during phototherapy, and the neonatal team will monitor their bilirubin levels to see how well the treatment is working.

What about all the alarms?

One thing parents often find difficult at first is the constant sound of alarms. When you don't yet know what they mean, every beep can make you worry that something is wrong with your baby.

The monitors and machines around your baby have alarm limits set to alert staff when a reading changes or moves outside a certain range.

But an alarm does not always mean that something is wrong with your baby.

A saturation probe can lose its signal when your baby moves. An ECG lead can become loose. Sometimes a reading may briefly move outside the set limits and then quickly return to normal.

Of course, alarms can also alert us to changes that need our attention. That's why we don't just look at the numbers on the monitor — we look at your baby too.

Over time, you may start recognising some of the different sounds around the unit. But you should never feel that you need to interpret or respond to the monitors yourself.

If an alarm worries you, ask your baby’s nurse what it means.

You don’t need to understand everything at once

When your baby is admitted to a neonatal unit, you are suddenly introduced to an entirely new world.

There are new words to learn, machines you have never seen before and numbers that can quickly start to feel very important.

You don’t need to understand all of it on day one.

Ask questions. Ask again if you forget. And please, don’t be afraid to ask them.

I often see parents standing beside their baby with questions on their mind, but hesitating to ask. Sometimes they worry that the question might sound silly, that we are too busy, or that they have already asked too many questions.

Please ask anyway.

This is your baby and their health and care. You should feel able to ask what a monitor is showing, what a particular wire is for, why your baby needs a certain treatment, or simply ask us to explain something again if you didn’t understand it the first time.

As neonatal nurses, we work with this equipment and terminology every day. It can be easy to forget that for you, this may be the first time you have ever seen or heard any of it.

You are part of your baby’s care too. We want you to feel informed, involved and supported throughout your time on the neonatal unit.

So if the question is in your mind, ask it. You deserve to understand the care your baby is receiving.

Every baby and every neonatal journey is different, and the equipment, terminology and practices used can vary between neonatal units. This article is for general information and should not replace advice from the neonatal team caring for your baby.