What you need to know about the NICU

Most parents' expectations of what life will be like after a baby is born is filled with joy, visitors, pictures, and a quick stay at the hospital. But for those facing the challenges of a baby in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), life is very different. Usually NICU babies are very sick or premature and life seems to hang in the balance. Although it can be a very sad and hard time, there are things that you can do make life in the NICU a little more bearable.

In the webinar, Different Beginnings: An Inside View of the NICU, nurse, Mary Coughlin, describes what the NICU is like, what nurses can do to make the stay better, and what parents can do to help their infant thrive.

There were two main points that stood out:
1. Parental involvement is key to infant success in the NICU. There are countless studies that show that infants have better outcomes if parents are involved in their daily care. In addition to parental care, skin-to-skin (also known as kangaroo care) is vital to infants health in the NICU. It is so important to be there for your baby when they are sick. Nothing effects their outcome more than the parents.

2. Feeding your infant breastmilk is crucial to an infants ability to thrive in the NICU. Breastmilk is so important to an infant in the NICU that it is sometimes referred to as medication. Breastmilk is nutritionally perfect for infants, and especially beneficial to the sick or premature NICU infant. Breastmilk helps infants grow faster and healthier!!

If you are a parent facing the chance of NICU stay, please listen to the webinar and get support from other parents who have had infants in the NICU.