Rely on the nurses, they are fantastic and have been through so much. They love your babies too!

Place a small beanie baby, picture, stuffed animal etc. in your baby(ies) isolate.

There may be pressure to be there for every feeding but take time for yourself. Don't spend all your time at the NICU. You will need your strength in the weeks ahead. Remember, you have the highest paid babysitters right now.

Don't feel responsible for how other's are feeling or for their needs (except your other child(ren)).

If you were not able to have a shower before the baby(ies) are born, see if you can have one now. You may have time to clean, return, set-up gift items before the baby(ies) come home.

Ask all the questions now. The NICU staff are extremely knowledgable. Ask anything no matter how trivial!

Please, unload, talk with and ask the members of GPMOMC anything. Many of us have been through the NICU experience and can help.

Take any offers for help and be honest with asking for help that you really need like, help cleaning house, having meals prepared for you, babysitting older children etc.

Have family and/or friends prepare snacks/meals for you to take to the NICU. The cafeteria is nice but can pricey over time.

Take pictures and video. It is Amazing to look back when they are all grown up!

Too get over the shock of how sick our babies were, I would sing. It was hard to sing and cry at the same time.

I was very intimidated by the NICU and it's staff. Being a new mom (let alone of multiples), I felt very inadequate. Hind sight is always 20/20. They are there to help the babies and you. They're experienced, and they are the perfect resource for learning about your babies' needs.

I too was very intimidated by the NICU and it's staff. The very first time I went into the NICU to see my babies the nurse handed me this hospital thermometer and said, "take the baby's temperature, then change her." and then walked away. I stood there holding back tears. There was one of my babies in this isolate, the first time I was really looking at her and then I was supposed to take her temperature and change her? I didn't know how to use the thermometer, no idea where the diapers were and no idea how I was supposed to get my hands into that isolate to touch my baby. Needless to say, this nurse was not the most helpful. Looking back, my advice is to remember (as hard as it is when your hormones are raging and you just gave birth to multiples, and your kind of freaking out) that the staff is there to help you and that you have the right to ask for help, and to not be made to feel more inadequate than you already feel. We ended up having a range of experiences with several different nurses, some were outstanding, some were terrible. Just know that you can ask to have a different nurse, you can question procedures if you feel your baby would be better served and you can stand up for what you feel is right for your baby(ies) regarding procedures and feedings etc. For example, if you want your baby(ies) to have breastmilk only, then demand it. If you feel something is not right with procedure, question the doctor.

Go to lunch with other NICU moms.

Touch your baby(ies) (skin to skin) as much as possible. It is proven to help them improve faster.

Practice 'Kangaroo Care' with your preemie. This is taking your naked baby and resting him/her against your naked chest (wrapping a blanket over the baby). This is also proven to help them improve faster. If your NICU says they do not allow this, demand it.

Keep a journal next to the isolate. Record the heartrates, oxygen levels and any tests that are done. These are the little milestones that keep you going.

Try to tune out the beeps, buzzer's and alarms that are continually going off and just hold your baby. I remember being so wrapped up in watching all the different measurements, the oxygen level, the heartrate and being nervous everytime some machine made a sound. Then the nurse told me, "ya know, if you had all these wires hooked up to you, the same alarms and beeps and buzzers would be going off too!" She told me that is was somewhat normal to have all these fluctuations in your body functions we just don't have the machines to tell us 24/7!

Ask to have your babies next to eachother. It makes it easier for you to be with both.

The most important thing I can say...try to take pictures, video and/or keep a journal of this time. It is absolutely terrifying, yet your babies are here and this is it. Our pediatrician, who had preemie triplets, reminded us to enjoy this time as much as we could. Even though it seems impossible now, they will grow very quickly.

Keep a disposable camera next to the isolate. Tell the nurses to take pictures when they do something funny or cute. I got back some really cute pictures when I 'finally' got them developed.