(Reprinted with permission from Health4Mom.org) Premature infants thrive when parents spend lots of time interacting with them. NICU parents: Do you feel anxious, frustrated, aching to do more for your premature baby’s growth and development besides pump that milk, and sit and stare?You are not alone. LAYING DOWN TRACKS There is still much to learn, but every year researchers add to the evidence that premature infants thrive when parents interact with them. Each minute your preemie’s brain is making 200,000+ neural connections; early recognition of you as parent is key. Now we know that singing or...

(Reprinted with permission from Healthy Mom & Baby  magazine and Health4Mom.org) Expert advice on pumping for your preemie By Candace Campbell, MSN-HCSM, RN Share: Are you the mom of a preemie who dreads pumping milk at night while the baby is in the NICU? You’re not alone. Who can blame you? It’s inconvenient. It interrupts your sleep. And perhaps you’re discouraged that even though you are pumping every 2-3 hours during the day, your milk supply is also dwindling.  While there is no solution to the fact that your milk supply follows the simple principle of supply and...

Breastfeeding Advice For Moms of Premature Infants NICU fallout: It’s not about radiation Are you the mom of a preemie who dreads pumping milk at night while the baby is in the NICU? You are not alone. Who can blame you? It’s inconvenient. It interrupts your sleep. It also interrupts your sleep! (If you noticed that repetition, you are probably NOT pumping at night.) Unfortunately, even though you are pumping every 2-3 hours during the day, your milk supply is also down…or dwindling. But why? Research shows there are five simple prerequisites for making milk: increased nutrition...

Dear Readers, The following podcast is one of our most emotional interviews of 2010. The story of Nick and Jenn Hall’s journey, and Jenn’s delivering micropreemie twins, is all too common these days. “The well-meaning things people say that hurt” may sound familiar to anyone who has gone through the chaos of the time; for others, this may be an enlightening bit of news. Listen how one family channeled their grief into a bit of comfort for other parents. The Graham Foundation “care packages” bless those who must navigate the treacherous waters of the NICU, with practical items, and wearable...

Two news items about preemies were reported in the past two weeks which were indirectly linked.  First, a study published by the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics discussed qualitative research with 59 parents who participated in a read-aloud-to-your-preemie-in-the-NICU program. The follow-up telephone survey showed that this activity resulted in parental feelings of increased closeness to their infants. Nothing new there. The second item, from the journal, Cerebral Cortex, states preemies who hear their mother’s voice are able to distinguish mom’s voice from other voices, plus...