Caring for your Baby

Babies that arrive early need extra special care. Prepare for your child's stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, and get tips on bonding with your special needs baby and bringing your preemie home.

For many premature babies, and even some full-term babies, the NICU provides the support and care they need to transition from the womb to the world. Here are some reasons your baby might need the NICU.

Bonding with your baby in the NICU can lower her stress levels and yours. Find out how you and NICU staff can work together to give your baby the best care possible.

Preemie parents discuss their experience with providing Kangaroo Care for their babies and provide a few tips for making it easy and comfortable.

Dr. Erin Hamilton Spence emphasizes the importance of sleep for the development of a baby's brain.

Your baby will be headed home before you know it. From picking the right car seat to home care instructions, be prepared for the big day.

Dr. Jeanette Whitney discusses the benefits of practicing kangaroo care with your baby.

Understand that there are many ways to bond with your baby during their NICU stay. © NICU Parent Network: Hand to Hold

Once they become familiar with it, most parents are interested in skin-to-skin contact with their babies shortly after birth, even if they don't know exactly why it's so good for them and their baby. But rest assured, there is real science behind it. Learn why this practice is so important and beneficial, both to you and your baby. © TWN (Bundoo)

Getting to know your baby is a resource to help families learn their baby's cues about when they're ready to interact, their schedules, and how to figure out their baby's age (if they were born prematurely). © March of Dimes

Touching and holding your baby is a resource with information for families about kangaroo care and gentle, still touch. © March of Dimes