No parent wants to be in the intensive care nursery. It's a frightening, often overwhelming place full of alarms, machines, doctors, and nurses--and, most terrifying of all, full of tiny babies fighting to survive. Parents who had planned to welcome their child home are faced with seeing that child weeks, maybe months earlier than planned, covered in a bewildering array of equipment keeping him or her alive. In such a situation, fear is understandable.

In Early Arrival: 9 Things Parents Need to Know about Life in the ICU Nursery: A Doctor's Step-by-Step Guide, neonatologist and NICU physician Dr. Terri Major-Kincade works to dispel some of that fear by providing knowledge about what to expect in the NICU. You may have missed your nine months with your early arrival, but you can use these nine steps to guide you the rest of the way.