When Jill Miles and John Knicely first visited the newborn intensive care unit at CAMC Women and Children's Hospital, they were terrified.

Their children - boy and girl twins - were born 15 weeks prematurely 15 years ago. The babies were rushed to the neonatal unit, a place where doctors and nurses work round-the-clock to keep distressed newborns alive.

"It's really a roller coaster," recalled Miles, whose kids - Lawson and Julia - are now healthy teenagers. "One day they're good, one day they're not."

On Tuesday, the March of Dimes and CAMC started a new program to make parents more comfortable when their babies are being cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The program includes part-time parent-support specialist Katie Foster, who counsels families to help relieve their stress. Foster understands parents' fears. Her twins - born prematurely - were cared for in the same newborn unit.

"The families get a lot of comfort talking with people who have been through what they're going through," said Foster. "It can be one of the most overwhelming, scary and traumatic experiences a parent can ever have."

The program - created by families for families - enlists a host of other volunteer parents whose children stayed in the sick baby unit.

Parents with newborns receive special kits to help them understand medical terminology used in the unit. They also receive books - donated by Scholastic Inc. - which they can read to their babies in the newborn unit during their stay and later take home.

"It's wonderful for parents who might not be able to hug their babies and hold their babies, but they can read to them," Foster said.

When Jill Miles and John Knicely first visited the newborn intensive care unit at CAMC Women and Children's Hospital, they were terrified.

Their children - boy and girl twins - were born 15 weeks prematurely 15 years ago. The babies were rushed to the neonatal unit, a place where doctors and nurses work round-the-clock to keep distressed newborns alive.

"It's really a roller coaster," recalled Miles, whose kids - Lawson and Julia - are now healthy teenagers. "One day they're good, one day they're not."

On Tuesday, the March of Dimes and CAMC started a new program to make parents more comfortable when their babies are being cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The program includes part-time parent-support specialist Katie Foster, who counsels families to help relieve their stress. Foster understands parents' fears. Her twins - born prematurely - were cared for in the same newborn unit.

"The families get a lot of comfort talking with people who have been through what they're going through," said Foster. "It can be one of the most overwhelming, scary and traumatic experiences a parent can ever have."

The program - created by families for families - enlists a host of other volunteer parents whose children stayed in the sick baby unit.

Parents with newborns receive special kits to help them understand medical terminology used in the unit. They also receive books - donated by Scholastic Inc. - which they can read to their babies in the newborn unit during their stay and later take home.

"It's wonderful for parents who might not be able to hug their babies and hold their babies, but they can read to them," Foster said.

Parents also meet with pediatricians who talk to them about what to expect when they take their babies home, and there's a support group for siblings.

On Tuesday, Women and Children's neonatal unit was full - 29 beds, 29 babies.

About one out of every eight West Virginia newborns winds up in a neonatal intensive care unit because they are born too small, too soon, or with a birth defect. The number of premature and low birth weight babies has increased sharply from a decade ago.

Some West Virginia hospitals like CAMC are forced to turn away some sick babies because they don't have enough beds to care for them.

"The parents are in here every day, and their babies are sometimes here three months," said Dr. Stefan Maxwell, medical director for CAMC's newborn intensive care unit. "Anything we can do to improve bonding is huge."

The CAMC Foundation is contributing $75,000 to the March of Dimes program over the next three years.

CAMC's newborn unit cares for more than 500 babies a year.

On Tuesday, Miles and Knisely returned to the hospital to reunite with Maxwell - who rushed to their home with paramedics and helped deliver their twins one night 15 years ago - and show their support for the new program.

"It will be wonderful," Miles said. "Our children are fine now. They're typical teenagers."

To contact staff writer Eric Eyre, use e-mail or call 348-4869.