Parents and Young Siblings of Premature Infants

Contact us via online form or by phone (1-877-275-3227) to request a resource listed below (or ask your local public librarian).

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Breastfeeding the Infant with Special Needs
Donna Dowling
March of Dimes, 2007
Techniques for breastfeeding premature infants and infants with special needs and medical needs are discussed.
WS 125 .D747b 2007  61351613

Bringing Your Baby Home
March of Dimes, 2011
This booklet provides tips to parents who are preparing to bring their infants home from the NICU.
WS 410 .M3151 2011  798966543

Coming home from the NICU : a guide for supporting families in early infant care and development
Kathleen VandenBerg and Marci Hanson
Brookes Publishing, 2013
This book is the key to providing family-centered, developmentally supportive guidance in the months after the NICU. Professionals will deepen their understanding of the emotional and physical challenges of the NICU experience, and they will get in-depth guidance on how to support parents effectively.
WS 410 .V227 2013786161514

Evan Early
Rebecca Hogue Wojahn and Ned Gannon (illus.)
Woodbine House, 2006
A young girl describes her excitement of having a new brother, but she is very frustrated that her parents have to spend a lot of time with him in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
PZ 7 .W847ev 2006  63243501

Hold Your Premie: A Workbook on Skin-to-Skin Contact for Parents of Premature Babies
Jill Bergman and Nils Bergman
New Voices, 2010
This book provides an overview of kangaroo care, or skin-to-skin contact between an infant and a parent, including how to do it and the benefits for the infant and the parents.
WS 105.5 C3 2010  741522795

My Sister Is a Preemie
Diana Amadeo
Zonderkidz, 2005
A young girl visits her baby sister in the NICU and learns how the doctors and nurses take care of her sister.
PZ 7 .A498 my 2005  54501648

Newborn Intensive Care: What Every Parent Needs to Know
Jeanette Zaichkin (Ed.)
American Academy of Pediatrics, 2010
This comprehensive book contains information about taking care of a premature infant, including feeding, medical complications, life at home, and much more.
WS 421 .N534 2010  649439459

Preemie Parents: 26 Ways to Grow With Your Premature Baby
Tami Gaines
Sellers, 2011
The author, a mother of twins who were born prematurely, shares her experiences to guide parents through their baby’s time in the NICU.
WS 410 .G35 2011  662400097

Preemies: The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies
Dana Wechsler Linden, et al.
Pocket Books, 2010
Written by a neonatologist and two mothers of premature infants, this book includes a variety of information about preemies, from pregnancy to early childhood. It also includes growth charts and extra resources related to premature infants.
WS 410 .L744 2010 1  472230864

Preterm infants : transition to home and follow-up
Susan Bakewell-Sachs and Susan Blackburn
March of Dimes, 2010
This short book explains the transtion from the NICU to the home and discusses the issues that might arise during this transition. Family centered care principles are explained to help parents gain confidence taking care of their premature baby.
WY 18.2 .B168p 2010  319063963

Supporting Siblings & Their Families During Intensive Baby Care
Linda Rector
Paul H. Brookes, 2007
Siblings have an important role in families with infants in the NICU. This book includes developmentally appropriate suggestions of how to communicate with siblings of all ages about a premature baby.
WS 105.5 F2 R311 2007  76481399

The Preemie Primer: A Complete Guide for Parents of Premature Babies—from Birth Through the Toddler Years and Beyond
Jennifer Gunter
Da Capo Press, 2010
The author, an OB/GYN, shares her medical expertise and experiences as a mother of triplets who were born premature. This book includes information about the NICU as well as life at home with a premature infant.
WS 410 G9578 2010  435418368

Understanding the NICU : what parents of preemies and other hospitalized newborns need to know
American Academy of pediatrics, 2017
This book will guide parents through their NICU journey, help them communicate with members of the NICU team, and learn about their baby’s condition.
WS 410 .Am31 2017945232330

Contact us to request a resource listed below (or ask your local public librarian). Some videos may be viewed online.

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Hold Your Premie: A Parents’ Guide to the Care of Preterm Babies
29 min; DVD
Geddes, 2010
With a focus on the parent being an important member of a premature infant’s care team, this DVD explains the practice of skin-to-skin contact for premature babies, or kangaroo care, and how it benefits both the parents and the infant.
WS 105.5 .B4542h 2010  785899948

Kangaroo Mother Care I & II
78 min; DVD
Geddes, 2005
This two-part DVD explains the reasoning behind skin-to-skin contact for newborn babies, or kangaroo care, and how to care for an infant using this method. Part I of this DVD is also available in Spanish.
WS 410 .B4542 2005  496867946

No Matter How Small: A Parent’s Guide to Preterm Infant Development
39 min; DVD
Vida Health, 2006
This DVD explains what parents can expect while their infant is the NICU, including understanding a premature baby’s signals and the best ways for parents to take care of their preemie.
WS 410 .N739 2006  191821923

Preemie Basics & Medical Care
29 min; DVD
InJoy, 2008
This DVD focuses on prematurity and the medical needs, problems, and equipment encountered by premature infants in the NICU.
WS 410 .Y67 2008 Vol. 1  217312279

Premature Birth: Reducing your Risk
19 min; DVD
March of Dimes, 2012
These short video vignettes with Dr. Siobhan Dolan educate women on how to reduce their risk of having a premature birth. Discusses who is at risk for preterm labor, the signs and symptoms, and what to do if you have preterm labor, and the reasons why reducing your risk of premature birth is important.
WS 410 .P916 2012881386853

Your Premature Baby Vol. 1: Preemie Basics & Medical Care
29 min; DVD
InJoy, 2008
This three-part series, available in both English and Spanish, follows preemies and their parents from their time in the NICU to when the baby goes home. Topics include an overview of the NICU environment, feeding and taking care of a preemie, and kangaroo care. Also available in Spanish.
WS 410 .Y67 2008   217312279

Your Premature Baby Vol. 2: Interacting With & Feeding Your Preemie
26 min; DVD
InJoy, 2008
This three-part series, available in both English and Spanish, follows preemies and their parents from their time in the NICU to when the baby goes home. Topics include an overview of the NICU environment, feeding and taking care of a preemie, and kangaroo care. Also in Spanish.
WS 410 .Y67 2008   228418532

Your Premature Baby Vol. 3: Going Home
26 min; DVD
InJoy, 2008
This three-part series, available in both English and Spanish, follows preemies and their parents from their time in the NICU to when the baby goes home. Topics include an overview of the NICU environment, feeding and taking care of a preemie, and kangaroo care. Also in Spanish.
WS 410 .Y67 2008   228429158

 

March of Dimes
March of Dimes is a national nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. March of Dimes advocates for policies to protect mothers and babies, works to improve the health care they receive, funds research to find solutions and provides families with the knowledge and tools to have healthier pregnancies.

Graham’s Foundation
Our mission is to support, comfort, inform, and guide families who experience a premature birth. We collaborate with the healthcare community and other parents of preemies to improve the well-being of preterm babies and families.

The journal titles linked below will take you to the publisher’s homepage. You can ask your local public librarian how to obtain these articles or contact us for more information.

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Pediatrics for Parents. 27(1–2), 12
Developmental Care: Helping Premature Babies Thrive
Goins, Maggie. (2011)
A NICU nurse explains how the NICU operates, including professionals that typically provide care to preemies or their families, and the developmental care preemies receive.

Zero to Three, 29(4), 34–37
Early Arrival: Finding the Magic of Everyday Moments With Your Baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Parlakian, Rebecca & Lerner, Clarie. (2009)
This article provides an overview of the NICU experience, including what parents can do to support their infants and what the infant is learning from these experiences.

The web resources listed below provide quick and easy access to evidence-based online information.

Preemie
The American Academy of Pediatrics features information about the NICU, including how parents can be involved in the care of their baby, skin-to-skin care, and preparing to bring the baby home.

Premature baby? Understand your preemie’s special needs
The Mayo Clinic provides information about premature infants, including taking care of a premature baby in the NICU and after your baby comes home.