Embrace Kangaroo Care

• Holding your baby will be your favorite NICU time.  Discuss with the doctor how long and often you will be allowed to Kangaroo Care based on the health and response your baby has during Kangaroo Care. 
• Studies have proven that Kangaroo Care can improve a baby’s health and shorten their hospital stay.
• Kangaroo Care will also help your milk production.

Consider Breastfeeding

• Although formula makers have improved the quality of milk for preemies, consider breastfeeding.
  
• It is proven that breastfeeding reduces the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, a gastrointestinal infection which is life threatening.
• The hospital can provide a pump for you to use while visiting the NICU and can arrange for you to rent a pump for use outside the hospital.
• Be sure to pump consistently and on a schedule to keep your milk production going.  Ask for storage guidelines from the lactation consultant at the hospital to ensure your milk stays fresh.

 Be an active NICU mom

• I recommend spending as much time as you can in the NICU even if most of it is not interacting with your baby directly.  You will feel more involved in your baby’s care and progress by being present during the assessment times and the doctor’s examination. 
• Get to know the nurses, respiratory therapists, speech therapist, social worker, chaplain and doctors who care for your baby.  They will become your second family and a big part of your hospital experience.
• Although it may be frightening at first it is important to be active in the care of your baby.  You will be allowed at the very least to change diapers, give baths, change clothing and hold your baby (depending on the health of your baby). 
• While sitting at your baby’s bedside read up on life in the NICU whether that be a book on preemies or a rare medical condition that led to your baby being in the NICU.  Educate yourself so you understand what is happening with your baby.  I strongly encourage you to learn why tests are performed, when they routinely are performed and what the results are. 
• Get to know other NICU moms.  They are the only people who will get how difficult it is to love your baby from the NICU.  Friends and family try to understand but if they have not experienced life in the NICU they can do little to comfort you. 

 Write about what is going on with your baby. 

• Keep a journal or blog to update your friends and family on your baby’s progress.  Share your feelings about your experiences.  You don’t need to be an award winning writer – just write from your heart.  Even if you never look at the journal again the act of writing can help you get through difficult days.  Blogspot and CaringBridge are two popular free vehicles to use for blogging to friends and family.
• Your baby will be weighed and measured regularly and you will want to document your baby’s growth especially if you have a long stay in the hospital.  The nurses will be happy to share with you results from assessments or tests so you can keep track of your baby’s improvements.

 Have fun with your baby

• Bring clothing and blankets from home to dress your baby in.  Be sure to write your baby’s name on each piece.  Don’t bring anything that would devastate you if it got lost in the hospital laundry.  Keep a special bag for your baby’s clean and dirty clothes at the bedside to reduce the chances of your clothes getting tossed in with hospital laundry and not making it back.
• Tape pictures of you, your baby’s dad, siblings, etc. to your baby’s bed.  Ask what the rules are for bringing stuffed animals to your baby’s bedside or other fun baby items.
• Take lots of pictures of your baby.  You will never regret taking too many pictures. Your baby will change everyday and you will enjoy looking back at all your photographs.  Leave a disposable camera for the nurses to snap pictures if you miss something important to photograph when you are away from the hospital.
• If your baby is scheduled for an eye exam, bring a special outfit for the occasion.  Treat your baby like you would if you were at home and were going on a special outing. 

 Give yourself permission to…

• take an afternoon off and get a pedicure.
• see a movie.
• ask a friend to sit with you at the hospital.
• ask for help.  Your friends and family will want to support you but they won’t know how so it is up to you to tell them what you need.