Understanding premature babies and their needs is very different for a new parent, especially if the parents have other children who were not born prematurely. Premature baby needs are much the same as those of a full-term infant. These include the need for love, food and warmth.

The differences between premature and full-term babies may be subtle, but are important. A full-term infant may like his back rubbed where a preemie may find it irritating. Nerve endings in a premature infant may not be completely developed, thereby causing noise and touch to be irritating instead of soothing.

If you've never stepped foot in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), you might be tempted to think it's a bustling place filled with baby noises like fussing, crying, and cooing.

You'd be wrong.

Mostly the babies are quiet. There are monitors, pagers, and ventilators beeping. Phones ringing. Staff and parents talking. But a noticeable lack of fussing coming from the babies. It's hard to cry loud with small lungs.

So how is it that these fragile, nonverbal, babies have so much to teach me?

By: Robert Miller

You know breast milk is best for your baby, yet sometimes you need to use a bottle. Expressing milk from your breasts and storing it in baby bottles can be difficult for many mothers. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be. Following the preparations below may aid you in this process:

By: Beverly Sugarman

Babies have different sleep patterns as they grow and age. At first, it may seem that your new baby is sleeping all the time. This is because newborns are only awake a few hours every day.