Home With Your Preemie
By Cheryl Morrissette, About.com Guide
NICU Discharge
Bringing your baby home from the NICU is a joyous time, but it can also fill parents with questions. The first, of course, is "When can my preemie come home from the NICU?" Parents may also wonder how often their babies should be eating, sleeping, and visiting the doctor, and when they can finally stop adjusting for gestational age when people ask "How old is your baby?"
- Milestones a NICU Baby Must Reach Before Going Home
- Share Your Story: Bringing Your Preemie Home from the NICU
- When Can I Take My Baby Home from the NICU?
- Newborn Screening in the NICU
- FAQs - Car Seat Test for Preemies
- Caring For Your Premature Baby at Home
Staying Healthy
Keeping preemies healthy is an important preemie parenting job after baby comes home from the NICU. Premature babies get sick more easily than other children, especially if they were very premature or very sick. Knowing how to keep preemies healthy and knowing when to take them to the doctor will help make the transition from hospital to home much smoother.
- What to Do When Your Premature Baby is Sick
- RSV in Premature Babies
- Summer Safety for Premature Babies
Adjusting to Life with a Preemie
Adjusting to life with a new baby in the family can be challenging, and adjusting to life with a premature baby can be even harder! Many plans you made for your baby, from child care to schedules to sleeping arrangements, can be more complicated if your baby was born early.
- Finding Child Care for Your Premature Baby
- Choosing the Best Formula for Your Premature Baby
- Breastfeeding Your Premature Baby
- Should Twins Sleep Together at Home?
Starting School
Starting school is an issue that many parents of premature children have a lot of questions about. Parents may wonder if their children should participate in early intervention or Head Start, and may wonder when their kids will be ready for preschool and kindergarten.
- Is My Preemie Ready for Kindergarten?
- Early Intervention FAQs
- Did Your Child Use Early Intervention?
- Premature Birth and Giftedness
Further Health Concerns
Unfortunately, health concerns of prematurity may linger past NICU discharge. Babies who were born very small, early, or sick have the highest risk of long-term health problems.
