If you are like me, you probably have a shelf of parenting books and a whole list of favorite parenting websites. All of a sudden, those books seem like they are in a foreign language. If they mention preemies at all, it is as a footnote to what term babies should be doing at any given time. On top of that, they don't answer all of your important questions about procedures, risk factors, setbacks, and the emotional ride of the NICU.

The good news is that there are several good books for your new role as a preemie parent. Don't get rid of the regular parenting books, they will come in handy as your baby matures and catches up but for now, check out some of these instead.

The following books are great resources for preemie parents in the NICU and at home. They can serve as references or as daily guides through your journey. While each of these books have some great information, remember to ask your baby's doctors about the things that you read. Medical technology is changing all the time and published works can't keep up with new procedures and policies.

The Preemie Book

This book is a great resource. Don’t read it all the way through, use it to look up specific issues as you encounter them otherwise you may spent a lot of time worrying about things that won't happen! This is the most complete set of medical information and was written by neonatalogists and preemie parents together.

The Preemie Primer

This book is a similar to the Preemie Book but includes a little more about life after the NICU. Not as comprehensive as The Preemie Book but a little easier to read.

The Premature Baby Book

Another great resource by Dr. Sears of attachment parenting fame. This book is our favorite for at-home preemies since it includes several chapters of post-NICU material.

Daily Journal

This is a great journal for keeping track of your baby’s daily milestones. Even if you just use a plain notebook, we recommend you get something to write down daily stats, meds, questions, etc to help you see progress and keep track of details.

Article written by Urban Flowerpot.