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Discover the MyPreemie App by Graham’s Foundation—a powerful tool designed to support parents of preemies with tracking, resources, and expert guidance. MyPreemie App Guidance In Your Pocket MyPreemie is a complete toolkit for the unique practical and emotional needs of families of premature babies with content from the authors of the acclaimed book Preemies: The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies. The app is available in English or Spanish, depending on your phone’s language settings. Features: Pocket Guide: Information on over one hundred health, developmental, and parenting issues of prematurity. Suggested Questions: To help you ask doctors and nurses about your premature baby. Diary: A beautifully illustrated baby book with prompts focusing on the experiences of prematurity to make it easy for you to document daily events, feelings, and photos. Trackers: Record your baby’s daily weight, length, and head size and compare those stats to preemie growth charts. Remember to Ask List: Automatically logs the suggested questions you tag with space to add your own, so that they’re handy when the doctor comes around. To Do List: To keep your tasks organized. Treasured Mementos: A checklist of objects for you to gather as precious keepsakes. Share: Easily update family and friends by sharing any page to Facebook, email, print, or save as pdf. Support thru the NICU Journey Thoughtful Care Packages for families facing premature birth Navigating the NICU can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our thoughtfully curated Preemie Care Packages offer comfort, encouragement, and practical support for families at every stage of the journey. Explore Care Packages

While some NICUs offer detailed Early Intervention (EI) resource information, others provide only basic suggestions. Thankfully, finding services online is easy. < Back Early Intervention 101 While some NICUs offer detailed Early Intervention (EI) resource information, others provide only basic suggestions. Thankfully, finding services online is easy. Listen To The Article Why you should look into Early Premature Baby Intervention Most premature infants (and toddlers) need help to reach developmental milestones, and EI provides just that. It’s a series of a federally funded programs carried out by states for children ages 0-3 and in many states, babies who have spent time in NICUs qualify automatically for either an assessment or for speech, vision, occupational, and physical therapy services. Not all preemies will need EI for their first three years, but even a few months of intervention services can give parents a great foundation for helping preemies cope with or overcome developmental delays, cognitive disorders, emotional issues, feeding problems, speech difficulties, or other concerns. Why preemie parents like Early Intervention It’s because EI is anything but clinical. In many states, therapists or teachers will come right to a family’s home on a schedule agreed upon by everyone. A typical session can last a half hour to an hour, and usually involves the EI specialist playing with the child, working on specific activities to address that child’s issues, and giving parents activity ideas that they can do between sessions to reinforce what the child is doing with the specialist. Families and their EI therapists often develop close bonds, and the therapist often knows the child they are working with so well that they can recognize emerging issues early on. When should you start Early Intervention Ideally, Early Intervention begins as soon as possible, but parents of preemies younger than three can request an EI assessment at any time. Waiting can mean that a child reaches milestones later, but it’s never too late to start EI. Parents who have financial concerns should know that EI can be covered by medical insurance and in many states, fees for services are determined by income – with many families receiving services at low cost or no cost. How to qualify for Premature Baby Early Intervention Eligibility for early intervention services is based on an evaluation of your child’s skills and abilities. If you, your child’s doctor, or other care provider is concerned about your child’s development, ask to be connected with your state or territory’s early intervention program to find out if your child can get services to help. If your doctor is not able to connect you, you can reach out yourself. A doctor’s referral is not necessary. Finding Early Intervention Services In many states, babies born prematurely will automatically qualify for EI services even if they haven’t yet shown any developmental delays. In some cases, Early Intervention begins right after discharge from the NICU though parents will concerns can contact EI any time before a preemie turns three. For services in your state ask your preemie’s care team for a referral or visit the CDC website . Then select your state and find the listing for one or more early intervention programs in your area. Flynn’s Story: Stepping into Early Intervention By Kristina Mulligan When first introducing solid foods to a baby, it is expected that there will be hilarious, camera-worthy moments of spitting and silly faces, maybe a mess to clean up. When first trying purees with our son, there were tears and gagging, screaming and hyperventilating. As a new mom, I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew this wasn’t “normal.” For many reasons, I held off on introducing foods to Flynn until after the window of time typically recommended. I chose to strongly take his adjusted age into consideration to ensure that he was ready, but his muscle control was also very weak, meaning that he was unable to sit up on his own – even assisted. If you are unsure of what adjusted age means, a baby’s adjusted age is their chronological age minus the number of weeks that he/she was premature. For example, I waited to attempt solids until Flynn was almost ten months old, but because he was born twelve weeks early, his adjusted age was about six-and-a-half months. After talking to the pediatrician, I decided to start with pureed avocado and recline the seat in Flynn’s highchair to give him the best position for his current abilities. Well, as I mentioned, it did not go well: there was choking, gagging, and turning blue. Unfortunately, but also luckily, it was not my first time having to spring into action and he ended up just fine. Scarred from the first incident, but optimistic that it was just a difficult transition, I tried again but the result was more of the same. I remember crying to my family, “It’s just not normal and I don’t know what do.” The timing actually worked in our favor, because later that week, Flynn had an appointment to see his neonatologist. In our case, he has an appointment to follow up with her every three months, and I was able to speak with his doctor pretty immediately after the choking incidents. This is when I first heard of Early Intervention. Her suggestion was to get Flynn evaluated by the county to see if he qualified for services through this program, specifically physical therapy. Her thought was that strengthening his core muscles would aid in the areas of feeding. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Early Intervention is the term used to describe the services and supports that are available to babies and young children (under the age of three) with developmental delays and disabilities and their families. This may include speech therapy, physical therapy, and other types of services based on specific needs. These publicly funded programs are available in every state and territory and provide services for free or at reduced cost for any child who is eligible. Flynn’s journey with early intervention began with physical therapy, but we have since expanded to speech, occupational, feeding, and sensory processing therapies. Even though our days are always packed with activity, I am extremely grateful and feel very fortunate that our family has been given this help. Each service has helped Flynn significantly and I truly believe that starting with these sessions so young will positively impact his future. “I wish I had known more about Early Intervention sooner.” As a parent in the NICU we heard a lot about activities that our son may not be able to do or things that he would not be capable of, but never how these things could be possible with specialists or how to get that help. I encourage everyone to be informed and ask questions, especially if they have concerns about their young children. We owe a lot of Flynn’s success to his amazing team of teachers, who have become such a huge part of our family. Every child deserves their best start, and this became possible for our family through the Early Intervention Program. Previous Next Send Comfort When It Matters Most Quick View Complimentary Preemie Parent Care Package Price $0.00 Quick View Premium Preemie Parent Care Package Price $25.00 Quick View Complimentary Loss and Remembrance Care Package Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Parent Care Package - English Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Parent Care Package - Spanish Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Journal Price $0.00 Discover More Guidance, Comfort, and Care 18 Things You Might Not Know About Premature Birth 8 Thoughtful Things to Say (and Do) for Parents of a Premature Baby Adjusting To Your New Reality Early Intervention 101

Our Community's Stories. Each preemie journey begins differently. Here's what our NICU parents first noticed when their early labor started. < Back Signs of Premature Labor Our Community's Stories. Each preemie journey begins differently. Here's what our NICU parents first noticed when their early labor started. Listen To The Article We polled our Facebook community to find out what symptoms they experienced before going into premature labor. As many of us know, those signs and symptoms aren’t always the ones our doctors told us to look out for! “No fetal movement (turned out my water had broken around 22 weeks), and swollen feet (developed pre-eclampsia after birth). I demanded an ultrasound and she was born later that day at 23 weeks.” — Laura “Back pain! Unbearable back pain! It turns out that it was back labor and my contractions weren’t even showing up on the monitor because they were all in my back, not uterus!” — Jennifer “For days before my daughter was born I felt pressure at the bottom of my belly.” — Rachel “It might sound strange, but I just knew. I didn’t expect him to come at 31 weeks, but two days before, I was on the phone with my mother in law saying “he’s not going to last until April!” I can’t remember anything specific physically though.” — Emily “It felt like my son was stretching into my hip, it was a really deep pressure in my right hip. I told the nurse about it at my 26 week appointment—two days before he was born—she literally laughed and told me that my body was just making room for the growing baby.” — Angela “I’ve had two preterm births and both times I could only describe the way I felt as “blah” No symptoms at all, other than that feeling. It was like everything including my emotions were stuck in neutral. Delivered both times within 24 hours of starting to feel that way.” — Brianna “Sudden change from frequent kicking and movement to barely discernible activity. I had morning sickness up until then and it went away. My eyesight changed and I remember thinking I must need glasses. Even though I felt much better than I had in months, there was this nagging feeling that something was wrong.” — Pat “At my ultrasound four days before I gave birth my daughters head was so low they couldn’t measure it on the ultrasound. I told them it felt like I had a bowling ball between my legs. They blew it off and refused to do an internal ultrasound to check my cervix. Four days later my twins were born at 28 weeks.” — Melissa “Low groin pains/pressure. Dr said it sounded like a UTI. My water broke four days later due to an incompetent cervix at only 22 weeks.” — Amanda “I thought it was constipation and gas pains. Apparently it was super low contractions.” — Sarah “Spotting throughout, I had multiple trips to the ER. OB said one week before the birth “it’s in Gods hands” I fired her on the spot! There was no suggested bed rest, or medicine—then I started cramping. I finally got another OB appointment when I spiked a fever the following Monday...they discovered all my amniotic fluid had leaked out.” — Sia “I woke up with bad headache, light headed, vomiting, with swollen feet and hands...my doctor told me to take sinus meds. I said it is a not sinus problem.” — Emily Previous Next Send Comfort When It Matters Most Quick View Complimentary Preemie Parent Care Package Price $0.00 Quick View Premium Preemie Parent Care Package Price $25.00 Quick View Complimentary Loss and Remembrance Care Package Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Parent Care Package - English Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Parent Care Package - Spanish Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Journal Price $0.00 Discover More Guidance, Comfort, and Care 18 Things You Might Not Know About Premature Birth 8 Thoughtful Things to Say (and Do) for Parents of a Premature Baby Adjusting To Your New Reality Early Intervention 101

Choosing childcare can be especially challenging for working parents of preemies, who may be more vulnerable to the illnesses commonly found in daycare settings. < Back Finding Premature Childcare Choosing childcare can be especially challenging for working parents of preemies, who may be more vulnerable to the illnesses commonly found in daycare settings. Listen To The Article Which, of course, isn’t to say that enrolling your preemie in daycare is bad or wrong or even unhealthy. Sometimes daycare is simply a financial necessity. Some children really thrive in a group setting. Daycare providers who are familiar with the needs of preemies can help stimulate a preemie’s development. And the needs of older siblings can make childcare the right choice for a family. There are lots of reasons that parents of preemies utilize daycare, but as you can imagine, the needs of preemies can make finding the right childcare situation more difficult. Working moms and dads who settled on childcare arrangements prior to their babies’ early births may need to make alternate arrangements or consider whether becoming a stay-at-home-parent is feasible. Every preemie is different, which means that perfect recipe for finding childcare for your preemie, but there are some steps you can take to make sure that the arrangements you make for your baby or toddler are appropriate for your circumstances. Discuss childcare options with your pediatrician. She or he will have a good sense of whether your preemie can handle the immune stress of being in a group childcare setting or would be better off in a one-on-one in-home situation. There may be special precautions you can take – like specific immunizations – to protect against illness. Make sure that any daycare provider you do choose for your preemie understands the unique health concerns that go hand-in-hand with prematurity. For example, special precautions may be necessary during flu and RSV season to keep a preemie healthy. Developmental delays associated with prematurity can be an issue when choosing childcare. Parents of preemies can look for centers or individual care providers who are focused on an individual child’s milestones rather than adhering to a preset schedule – particularly when it comes to things like potty training and academics. A family caregiver is often a great choice, because someone close to you may be more likely to understand your preemie’s needs. Having a grandparent or other relative providing childcare also means your baby or toddler is spending quality time with someone he or she already knows. Look into nannies and au pairs. An in-home nanny service or live in au pair may not be much more expensive than traditional daycare, and your preemie will benefit from both one-on-one interaction with an adult and the natural seclusion from germs that being at home offers. Take as much time as you need to find a daycare arrangement you feel comfortable with. If you have any doubts about whether a provider will do what is necessary to protect your preemie from germs or respect your child’s unique developmental timeline, keep looking. If you or someone you love is navigating life in the NICU, our Preemie Care Packages are here to offer a little extra comfort and support. Previous Next Send Comfort When It Matters Most Quick View Complimentary Preemie Parent Care Package Price $0.00 Quick View Premium Preemie Parent Care Package Price $25.00 Quick View Complimentary Loss and Remembrance Care Package Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Parent Care Package - English Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Parent Care Package - Spanish Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Journal Price $0.00 Discover More Guidance, Comfort, and Care 18 Things You Might Not Know About Premature Birth 8 Thoughtful Things to Say (and Do) for Parents of a Premature Baby Adjusting To Your New Reality Early Intervention 101

Navigating the NICU is an emotionally overwhelming experience, with medical complexities leaving parents relying on hope to cope. < Back Finding Hope in the Early NICU Days Navigating the NICU is an emotionally overwhelming experience, with medical complexities leaving parents relying on hope to cope. Listen To The Article Holding on to hope in the NICU can be one of the most challenging things a preemie parent will do. But when it feels like hope is the only thing you have, it’s worth the struggle. That’s only natural when you consider that so much of what happens in the NICU is driven by hope. Parents of preemies hope first for life, then for growth and health and a bright future. Doctors hope that the interventions they choose are the right ones for each patient. Nurses, who typically spend more time with premature infants than anyone else, share the hopes of both moms and dads and the overseeing doctors. Hope is especially important in the early NICU days. Hope is what lets parents of preemies accept that no outcome is written in stone until it has come to pass. Hope gives moms and dads who are struggling to understand the realities of prematurity the strength to be there for their preemies during medical procedures. Strength to endure the lowest dips on the NICU rollercoaster. The 2nd century BC Roman author Terence wrote that “while there’s life, there’s hope” – an attitude shared by many NICU staff members. And yet parents of preemies who are facing seemingly insurmountable odds may find holding onto hope difficult in those early unpredictable days after birth where every step forward seems to be followed by two steps back. Unfortunately, there’s no magic formula for hope. The battle against weariness, fear, and frustration is an ongoing part of life in the NICU and every mom and dad must choose their own weapons. Some parents of preemies find that reading survivor stories gives them hope, while others prefer to nurture hope through faith or by diving headfirst into the world of modern medicine. Research has shown that connecting with other parents of preemies can help moms and dads cope with the multifaceted emotions they’re experiencing, but sometimes holding onto hope is simply a matter of grabbing on to those ups and letting go of the downs. Previous Next Send Comfort When It Matters Most Quick View Complimentary Preemie Parent Care Package Price $0.00 Quick View Premium Preemie Parent Care Package Price $25.00 Quick View Complimentary Loss and Remembrance Care Package Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Parent Care Package - English Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Parent Care Package - Spanish Price $0.00 Quick View Complimentary (Digital) Preemie Journal Price $0.00 Discover More Guidance, Comfort, and Care 18 Things You Might Not Know About Premature Birth 8 Thoughtful Things to Say (and Do) for Parents of a Premature Baby Adjusting To Your New Reality Early Intervention 101

Find trusted resources and support for parents of premature babies. Graham’s Foundation helps you navigate the NICU journey, you NICU premature baby and beyond. Premature Baby Support Resources & Articles Filter by All Before Birth In the NICU Life After NICU 18 Things You Might Not Know About Premature Birth Discover surprising facts about premature birth to help you navigate this journey with insight and support. Read More > 8 Thoughtful Things to Say (and Do) for Parents of a Premature Baby Discover 8 heartfelt phrases and 5 practical ways friends and family can offer real comfort and support to parents of premature babies. Read More > Adjusting To Your New Reality Adjusting to life with a new baby is challenging, but life after premature birth can be even harder, especially with a preemie in the NICU. Read More > Early Intervention 101 While some NICUs offer detailed Early Intervention (EI) resource information, others provide only basic suggestions. Thankfully, finding services online is easy. Read More > Finding Hope in the Early NICU Days Navigating the NICU is an emotionally overwhelming experience, with medical complexities leaving parents relying on hope to cope. Read More > Finding Premature Childcare Choosing childcare can be especially challenging for working parents of preemies, who may be more vulnerable to the illnesses commonly found in daycare settings. Read More > How Early Can a Baby Be Born and Live? This guide explains when a baby is considered premature, how early a baby can survive outside the womb. Read More > NICU Glossary Here are some terms you may come across during your prematurity journey. Read More > NICU Survival Story: From a Preemie Parent Now that you have had your preemie - get ready to get comfortable (or at least as comfortable as you can) in the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit). Read More > Premature Baby Loss & Remembrance Resources Coping with the loss of a premature baby is an incredibly challenging journey, and this article offers a compilation of additional resources to provide comfort, guidance, and support during this difficult time. Read More > Self Care Tips for NICU Parents The NICU journey can feel overwhelming – a whirlwind of medical terms, sleepless nights, constant worry, and emotional upheaval. Read More > Signs of Premature Labor Our Community's Stories. Each preemie journey begins differently. Here's what our NICU parents first noticed when their early labor started. Read More > Tips for Managing Cold, Flu, and RSV Season with a Preemie Cold and flu season can be terrifying for preemie parents, often called “lock-down” time to protect their baby from germs. Read More > What Preemie Parents Wish You Knew In 2017, we found out we were pregnant. But over the next months, a complicated pregnancy wreaked havoc while the life inside fought right along with me. Read More > What is Considered Premature and How do Preemies Differ? Preemies forge their own path from birth, defying typical developmental patterns and demonstrating unique resilience that begins in the NICU and continues long after. Read More > What to Expect with a Premature Baby | NICU & Preemie Parent Guide While some parents can prepare for premature birth, most enter the NICU unexpectedly. Here are nine key insights to help you navigate the preemie experience. Read More > Preemie Parent Talk Series Preemie Parent Talk Play Video Share Whole Channel This Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing Preemie Industry Talk with Peter Davis 30:18 Play Video Now Playing Preemie Industry Talk with Mikael Norman 32:46 Play Video Now Playing Parent Preemie Talk with Laura Gaddis 32:13 Play Video Now Playing Preemie Parent Talk with preemie parent and author Jenny Bernardo. 36:59 Play Video Download MyPreemie App MyPreemie is a complete toolkit for the unique practical and emotional needs of families of premature babies. Get App "I love this app, especially while little one was in the NICU, was able to track growth his care takers and development." Tiny Hands, Infinite Hope A Journey of Love in the NICU In 2013, the Miller family discovered the strength they never knew they possessed. Holding their fragile newborn for the first time, they experienced a moment of profound connection that would define their resilience and unwavering love. Share Your Story

Find trusted resources and support for parents of premature babies. Graham’s Foundation helps you navigate the NICU journey and beyond. < Back Loss & Remembrance Resources Coping with the loss of a premature baby is an incredibly challenging journey, and this article offers a compilation of additional resources to provide comfort, guidance, and support during this difficult time. Listen To The Article The loss of a premature baby is an experience that brings immense heartbreak, leaving parents and families navigating profound grief and unanswered questions. During such a challenging time, it’s essential to know that you don’t have to face it alone. This article provides a collection of additional resources designed to offer support, comfort, and understanding to those grieving the loss of a premature baby. From counseling services and support groups to educational materials and online communities, these resources aim to help families find connection, healing, and hope as they process their loss and begin to rebuild their lives. Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation Is on a mission to improve outcomes of pregnancy, childbirth, infancy, and prematurity, as well as assist in the grieving process through financial assistance, education, and advocacy. Visit website ❯ Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death M.E.N.D. is a Christian, non-profit organization that reaches out to families who have suffered the death of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death. Visit Website ❯ Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Provides support toward positive resolution of grief experienced at the time of, or following the death of a baby. Visit website ❯ Postpartum Support International The purpose of the organization is to increase awareness among public and professional communities about the emotional changes that women experience during pregnancy and postpartum. Visit Website ❯ Saul’s Light Helping NICU parents get the necessary resources and emotional support they need in their time of crisis, and beyond. Visit Website ❯ Previous Next

< Back 18 Things You Might Not Know About Premature Birth Discover surprising facts about premature birth to help you navigate this journey with insight and support. Listen To The Article For many moms, the first signs of premature labor are obvious contractions. But for some, premature labor began with nothing more than a general “off” feeling or minor flu-like symptoms. A preemie mom’s milk will have extra minerals, fat, and protein, along with leukocytes and antibodies to help protect their preemies from infection, however, the overwhelming amount of pressure, along with stress and fatigue, make it common for moms of premature babies to face challenges with milk production. Half of all neurological disabilities in children are related to preterm birth. The cause of most preterm birth is unknown, which makes it very difficult to prevent. Umbilical and inguinal hernias occur more often in preterm infants. Umbilical hernias are usually self-resolving but inguinal hernias require surgery to correct. Severe cases of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (jaundice) can result in brain damage! Though it can seem a bit silly phototherapy is vital for preemies with severe cases. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a heart problem that’s relatively common in preterm infants. It may require surgery to repair the defect but in some cases it can be resolved with nothing more than a dose of ibuprofen. Research has found that moms who give birth within eighteen months of having a baby are much more likely to have a preemie. Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, Sir Winston Churchill, Victor Hugo, and Sir Isaac Newton were all preemies. Preemies are much more susceptible to infections than full-term babies because the transfer of maternal IgG antibodies to the fetus usually happens after the 28th week of pregnancy. Premature birth is the number one cause of neonatal mortality in the US. Race and gender can affect the outcomes of premature birth. Premature birth varies a lot. Preemies born 34-37 weeks are called late-term preemies and have fewer complications. Preemies born before 33 weeks are at risk for more conditions than late-term preemies. Preemies born before 25 weeks are called micropreemies and are at the greatest risk for serious health issues and long-term complications. Micropreemies are typically born with their eyelids still fused. Typically, they will open their eyes about six days after birth. Because fused eyelids are associated with earlier births, studies correlate fused eyelids and overall outcomes: 52% percent of babies born with their eyelids fused survived to be discharged from the hospital, compared to 83% of those born with eyelids open. Preemie skin may be very fragile, wrinkly, and red—especially in the earliest preemies. It’s also much more permeable than a full term baby’s skin, making them more vulnerable to infection and less able to regulate their temperature. A preemie’s development may be evaluated according to an “adjusted age,” which is their chronological age minus the difference between birth date and due date. The first line of treatment for incidents of apnea of prematurity (where breathing stops for more than 15 seconds) is often stimulation of the preemie’s skin by patting or rubbing—both of which can help a baby begin breathing again. Parents of preemies are at risk for developing depression, anxiety, and PTSD. But studies have shown that kangaroo care can reduce the chances mothers of preemies will develop postpartum depression or anxiety. There’s a lot we still don’t know about how preemies are unique! Results of one recent study suggested that preemies have fewer friends than their full-term peers but another study (one that showed that preterm babies are more affected by the quality of a care-giving environment) found that prematurely born children had better social abilities than their full-term peers when they were cared for in households with happy, nurturing parents. What does that mean for your preemie? Probably not much since your preemie is an individual who will forge their own path. Preemies and termies are clearly very different, but never forget that your preemie – however many challenges they’re facing – is also a baby worth celebrating. There’s no way to predict how far they’ll go in the next year or in a lifetime. The best thing you can do is give your baby every opportunity to explore their potential and love them as much as you can! Previous Next