Consuelo Kloosterman is an experienced pediatric physical therapist. She has over 25 years of clinical expertise in the NICU, and currently works in two level III NICUs in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Quick Call Outs from the Episode:
- Physical Therapy in the NICU covers so much about how to care for and connect with your baby. You can learn things like -
- How to touch your baby
- How to hold your baby
- How to change their diaper
- How to massage your baby
- Appropriate positions for feeding
- How to identify when your baby is alert and ready for interaction
- All of which will help prepare you for your time after the NICU
- Advice for when you get home
- Being organized is helpful
- Practice in the NICU as much as possible
- Write everything down
- Use a night light in your home as your baby acclimates to the new surroundings - lights in the NICU are on all the time
- Use some blankets that were familiar from the NICU
- Slowly introduce your new routine
- Advocate for your child
- Favorite Resource
- www.pathways.org - A website filled with free resources for you to learn about developmental milestones as well as ideas for activities that are appropriate by age
- Connect with Consuelo via NICU Alumni hello@nicualumni.org and we’ll get you in touch with her!
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A special thanks to the Prolacta Bioscience Foundation for supporting the NICU Alumni podcast!
You can also support our mission and help create brighter futures for babies that have graduated from the NICU (who we affectionately refer to as NICU Alumni) and their families by donating here.
The purpose of this podcast is for entertainment only and should not be viewed as medical advice.