Know that your NICU staff are there to serve you, as well as your baby. Please don’t be afraid to ask questions, as many times as you need to hear some concept explained. In even the most fertile (and relaxed) environments, a learner requires frequent repetition in order to assimilate new information. Numerous sleep deprivation studies connect lack of sleep with spotty incorporation and performance on all levels. Recall that sleep deprivation has been wielded as a means of torture for centuries. Confusion, loss of appetite, immune system compromise and more, are common side-effects. As one who...

How Do You Cope With the STRESS of  Having a Baby in the NICU? Part 1 Buzzers and bells and loudspeakers, oh my!” and “How can anyone get any sleep in here? Do you remember your first peek in the NICU? A recent ad hoc survey of family, friends and healthcare workers turned up some rather frightening adjectives when asked: In a word, what was your first impression of the NICU ? Responses included : scary, surreal, torture chamber, bizarro, Orwellian, hell, warzone, and heaven. (I understand most of the sentiment. But, heaven? That mom added,“’cause that’s where my baby...

Greetings and welcome to my blog and audio podcasts! (Scroll to bottom for podcast) Please make yourself at home. Take off your shoes, and I’ll put the kettle on. We can talk about all things in the world of the premature and micropremature baby. Whether you call them low birth weight, very low birth weight (aka: VLBW), micro premature, micro-premature or micropremature, it makes no difference. If you are reading this, chances are your life has been changed forever by the entrance of a tiny person into your once relatively normal existence. Those of you who are new to our community may be shaking...