How to Treat Preemies

Having a preemie can be an overwhelming experience for any parent. You must leave your baby in the hospital NICU so that they can properly treat your preemie. This time can be an emotional roller coaster for parents as they wait for the opportunity to take their baby home. In the meantime, regular visits to the NICU will help teach parents how to properly treat a preemie.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Learn how to touch your preemie with "deep touches." Parents often want to avoid touching their fragile-looking preemie or think they have to touch them lightly. Many NICUs teach parents to use "deep touches" by holding the baby with firm, constant pressure, similar to the walls of the uterus.
2. Avoid overstimulating your preemie. Younger preemies have underdeveloped nervous systems and are easily overstimulated. When this happens, there may be changes in heart rate or oxygen levels. Keep an eye on the monitors to gauge how your baby responds. Avoid extended eye contact, and keep stimulation simple by doing only one thing at a time. For example, if you hold her, don't talk or sing to her.
3. Pump breast milk to be fed to your preemie. Breast milk is one of the best ways to treat preemies. The antibodies and nutrients are essential to a baby's development.
4. Ask your hospital NICU about "kangaroo care." If the hospital allows it, this is something both moms and dads can do. Studies show that the skin-to-skin contact from kangaroo care has positive results and is one of the best ways to treat preemies. Babies become more relaxed during "kangaroo care." The baby wears only a diaper and lies on the parent's bare chest with a blanket or clothing to cover them.