Yesterday, I took a knitting class, which was organized by the NICU Moms Support Group. A group of ladies from a wonderful organization called The Preemie Project came and attempted to teach us to knit. I will have to keep you posted on the progress of my baby blanket, because there isn't much to show right now! Based on how long it took me to do 3 rows of knitting on the blanket yesterday, I'm thinking I should be finished with it around the time Emily graduates from High School :)
We also talked about blanket safety and the Back to Sleep program. You will notice that in a lot of the pictures I post of Emily from here in the NICU, she will be swaddled in blankets and maybe have a hat on. She also may be positioned sleeping on her side or tummy. At first, this really bothered me, because I know to reduce the risk of SIDS, babies are not to be kept too warm and are not to have any blankets, pillows, crib bumpers, or other soft items in the bed with them. They also should always be placed on their backs to sleep. However, preemies have some different needs while in the NICU. Because their bodies and heads are still developing, the nurses must change the position of the babies a few times a day so that they develop nice, round heads and bodies. The swaddling and/or other items in the bed are to help maintain the babies temperature, something they can't do on their own, and also provide them "boundaries" which makes them feel secure, like they were in the womb.
The NICU staff does participate in the Back to Sleep program. A week or so before babies are discharged, nurses begin dressing them sleep sacs and putting them to sleep on their backs.
It was reassuring to know that the staff is aware of how to decrease the risk of SIDS, and to understand why they have to bundle the babies as they do - at least in the beginning.
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