Here is one book you will want to read if you have a preemie in your life. Titled Preemie: Lessons in Love, Life, and Motherhood, this story provides a hopeful tale, one of struggling through the pain and fear of delivering a micropreemie, ultimately reaching a place of strength and authenticity. Highly recommended!
Here's an interesting, NICU-relevant bit of information from the journal Pediatrics (2011). It's about having babies sleep on their backs (supine) earlier in their NICU stay, for SIDS prevention after discharge. Preterm Infants Should Be Placed Supine as Soon as Possible. (preemie and micropreemie babies)
Kangaroo care is another term for skin-to-skin holding, and it is wonderful. It's something you should be asking your NICU team about right away, if you haven't started already. Skin-to-skin holding is a critical practice for all NICU babies, and we help explain what it is and how to get started.
*Print the list and take with you to the NICU* When you are a parent in the NICU, I encourage you to get in the habit of asking questions, because it is vital to your becoming informed about your baby so you can be her expert, her advocate. It's easier with this big list of great questions for your NICU nurses and doctors.
Welcome to the NICU. You have just been thrown into an overwhelming and scary place, and I'm here to try to help you get a grip on what is happening, how you'll get through it. You're in the right place - this is the first step on an incredible journey. Take a nice deep breath, exhale, and read on. You'll be okay!
Having a baby is overwhelming enough, but when your world gets turned upside down because of a NICU admission you, as a parent, may feel lost, helpless. I encourage you to understand your critical role in your baby's life. The one job nobody else in the hospital can do better than you is being your baby's advocate.
