Most parents do not expect to begin life with their new baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). They often feel lost and powerless amidst this new world of medical vocabulary, technology, and numerous health care providers. Understanding the NICU will guide you through your NICU journey, help you communicate with members of the NICU team, and learn about your baby's condition so that you can ask questions and participate as a valuable partner in your baby's care. It will also provide important information about how to care for your baby after you leave the hospital and head home with your little one.

When a newborn is admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), it can be frightening and overwhelming. Edited by two top NICU doctors and a veteran NICU nurse, this guide will support parents through their baby's time in the NICU, helping them communicate with members of the NICU team, ask the right questions, and participate as valuable partners in their baby's care. Understanding the NICU addresses such topics as common NICU equipment and tests, common medical problems for babies in the NICU, special health issues for preterm newborns, feeding and parenting in the NICU, and heading home from the NICU. This updated and fully revised edition also features new inspirational stories from parents of hospitalized newborns, bringing comfort and hope.--