All the machines may seem overwhelming, but don't let them keep you from interacting with your baby. Bonding with a baby in the NICU is as important as bonding with any newborn, sometimes even more so. You simply have to learn the best way to do it.

Parents can always visit and spend time with their NICU babies. The number of people who can visit a baby in the NICU may be limited, but parents are usually allowed to stay almost 24 hours a day (except when the medical team performs its daily examination and evaluation). Ask the NICU's social worker about what accommodations are available for parents — cots, recliners, or nearby housing such as through the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Other family members can visit only during specified hours and only a few at a time. And siblings may not be allowed in the NICU because children have a greater risk of introducing an infection. Check with the hospital staff to determine which family members can see your baby.

Depending on how sick your child is, you may be able to hold your little one even if he or she is on a ventilator or has an IV. If the doctors feel that would be too much for your baby, you can still hold his or her hand, stroke his or her head, and talk and sing to him or her. A gentle, consistent touch will be the most reassuring.

But for some very premature infants, touching is extremely stressful (if they were still in the womb, they would have little tactile stimulation). In these cases, doctors may suggest that you minimize physical contact but still spend as much time as possible with your baby. Check with the doctor or nurses to figure out how much and what type of contact is best.

If you can hold your baby, you may be able to breastfeed or pump your milk and bottle-feed. Most NICUs have screens to allow mothers to breastfeed their babies at the bedside.

Kangaroo care (or skin-to-skin contact) is another option to help you forge a bond with your new baby. Here's how it works:
Place your baby (who's usually dressed in just a diaper and a hat) on your chest underneath your shirt, so your little one is resting directly on your skin.
Loosely close your shirt over your baby to help keep him or her warm.

Doctors and researchers have suggested that skin-to-skin contact can improve babies' recovery time and help them leave the NICU sooner.

But the best way for parents to help their babies in the NICU is to be there for them and learn to read their behaviors. This will help you to figure out:
when your baby is stressed and needs to rest
when your baby is ready to bond with you
what type of interaction your baby likes (stroking, singing, etc.)
what time of day your baby is the most alert
how long your baby can respond to you before getting tired

Although you want to make time for interacting with your infant, you also want to allow periods of undisturbed sleep. Let your baby set the pace for your time together and you'll both get more out of it.