Your baby is generally considered ready for discharge home when:

• They are gaining weight steadily.
• Their temperature is normal in a cot with clothes.
• They don’t need any help with breathing: If your baby needs oxygen at home, staff in the neonatal unit will prepare you for this and will organise everything that your baby needs.
• You are able to feed them safely
• You are able to give them any medicines that they need and they have had no recent changes in medicines. 

In general, we do not expect babies to be ready to go home until they are 35 weeks corrected age or above and their weight is about 1800 g (4 lbs) or above; but some babies may not be ready until later.

If your babies are twins or triplets or other multiple births, one baby may be ready to go home before the other.

All of the arrangements for discharge are co-ordinated by neonatal staff or a clinical nurse specialist/neonatal discharge co-ordinator.