Feeding Nutrition & Growth

Growing bigger and stronger and learning how to eat are two of the things your little one will be working hardest on while in the NICU. Below are some resources to help you learn more about feeding, nutrition and growth.

• Benefits of Breastmilk: Breastmilk is incredibly important for premature and sick babies. This page explains why it is important and tips on how to get started.

• Breastmilk for Your Hospitalized Infant: If your baby is premature or sick, you may not be able to breastfeed right away. This explains both how to use a pump and how to store your breastmilk.

• Breastfeeding (Helping Hand): This Helping Hand provides tips on breastfeeding, feeding schedules and more.

• Oral Stimulation: Oral stimulation is positive touch to the mouth or face and is very important to improve breastfeeding and bottle feeding outcomes in premature infants.

• Growth and Nutrition: This page includes weight and length conversion charts you can use when your baby gets weighed. In the NICU, they are weighed in grams and measured in cenimeters but most people are more familiar with pounds, ounces and inches.