Bonding with Your NICU Baby

Recently, here in the baby blog we have been talking about preemies and the NICU experience. Emotionally draining is an understatement. Bonding is also another challenge as you might not even be able to hold your little one for awhile. NICU babies have unique needs and consequently it’s important that you give yourself permission to observe your baby’s cues and watch them closely. Your baby might not be interested in the outside world for awhile and actually, that’s not a terrible thing. NICU preemies, particularly ones who are sick, need all their energy for recovering. Once your baby is matured … Continue reading →

Surviving the NICU: Questions to Ask

I don’t think anyone is ever quite prepared for the NICU experience. Yesterday, we talked about how it is emotionally draining and can leave you feeling very much out of control. However, it is important to become not only an advocate for your baby, but part of the medical team. I highly recommend purchasing a journal soon after the birth of a preemie. Journaling the NICU Experience I think many people find journaling cathartic. To be able to write what you cannot say and express your feelings openly without fear of being corrected or having them explained away is often … Continue reading →

You Are Still a Parent In the NICU

Ideally, you gestate for nine months, you give birth, and in a few days, everyone goes home. But as we know that doesn’t always happen. Premature birth can happen to any mother, but some women are at a greater risk. Multiples almost always come early with a mere 5% making it a full forty weeks. Nonetheless, whether you are prepared for the NICU experience or not, when it happens, it can be nothing short of devastating and depressing. A Difficult Birth Babies who are born early are almost always born via cesarean section. While I realize that the surgery goes … Continue reading →

A Unique Hospital for Sick Babies

When I had my daughter just eight years ago, it used to be that the age of viability was 30 weeks. This meant that if she was born prematurely, at 30 weeks she had a very good chance of survival. Before 30 weeks, that was a different story. But medical technology is constantly changing. When I had my twins two years ago we talked extensively about the possibility of premature birth. Having twins nearly doubles your risk of giving birth early regardless of the health of the mother or other factors. It is not common to carry twins to a … Continue reading →

Preemies Listening to Vivaldi?

Music therapy for preemies is cropping up all over the world, and it’s showing promising results! Music therapy is designed to help relax the infant and studies are showing that it improves neurological functions! Here are some unique ways in which preemies are being treated with music. Granada, Spain Nurses at a maternity hospital put speakers up to an incubator three times a day. The therapy has several goals. The first is to reduce cortical levels (the hormone present when we’re stressed). Secondly, researchers are looking to see if they can help improve the bonding between the preemies and their … Continue reading →

Volunteer Cuddler Programs Help Preemies

Having to leave your baby in the hospital is heart wrenching. I was talking with one fellow MOM (mother of multiples) recently who recounted her experiences with her preemie twins. She said she spent 16 hour days at the hospital with her twins for 6 weeks while they were in the NICU. However, not every mom can spend that much time in the hospital for extended periods of time. Enter the Volunteer Cuddler Program. These special ladies (and I suppose men could do it too), volunteer their time to go to the hospital and cuddle preemies. Cuddling Gets Started Preemies … Continue reading →

Preemies and Surviving Intensive Care

No parent ever wants to deal with having a premature baby but sometimes it cannot be avoided. For many parents, the real struggle occurs when the baby has to stay in intensive care while mom and dad go home. As you can imagine, leaving your baby behind is heartbreaking, although good for the baby. The time a baby would need to stay in the hospital would depend on many factors to include term of birth, specific illness, response time to treatment, etc. One of the most important things you need to do as the parents is prepare yourself if you … Continue reading →

Breastfeeding and the NICU

The NICU (Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit), is a scary place. There are the tiniest of babies, machines and wires everywhere, and dark lights. The atmosphere is quiet, while nurses and doctors go about the very important business of monitoring little lives. The NICU is also scary because if you have seen it, it means your baby is inside, likely hooked up to something, perhaps clinging to life. For the most part, babies are in the NICU because they were born prematurely. While there are other reasons babies may land themselves an incubator in the NICU, being premature is the most … Continue reading →