The Premature Baby Book

The Premature Baby Book helps parents of premature babies become comfortable with their potentially bewildering new roles. Among the topics covered:
- Getting to know the important people, and the cutting-edge equipment, in the neonatology infant care unit
- Head-to-toe, system-by-system--a tour of a preemie's unique features and needs
- Methods for dealing with the fears and feelings common to new parents of preemies
- How parents can bond with their newborn even during the infant's extended stay at the hospital
- Breastfeeding vs. bottle-feeding, and how to develop a healthy feeding pattern in the early days
- Necessary preparations for bringing baby home
- Common concerns and medical challenges during the first year
- Like the Sears's bestselling The Baby Book, The Premature Baby Book focuses on the essential needs of babies--eating, sleeping, development, health, and comfort--and covers virtually every aspect of caring for the premature infant.
- More than a million copies of the books in the Sears Parenting Library have been sold to date--and the books remain perennial bestsellers. The Premature Baby Book is the eleventh book in this popular series.
- William Sears, M.D., has practiced as a pediatrician for more than 30 years. Martha Sears is a registered nurse, child-birth educator, and breastfeeding consultant. Drs. Robert and James Sears are their two oldest sons and are both board-certified pediatricians at the Sears Family Pediatric Practice in San Clemente, California.

"About 12% of all babies born in the U.S. are born prematurely, say Bill and Martha Sears, a husband-and-wife, doctor-and-nurse team of pediatric experts and authors of the Sears Parenting Library (which includes The Pregnancy Book, The Baby Book and other bestselling guides). They co-wrote this book on the essentials of premature births with their two oldest sons, Bob and Jim, who are pediatricians, and the result is a comprehensive, authoritative guide to understanding why babies are born prematurely, what the ramifications of such births are and what parents can do about it. The authors address parenting a preemie in the hospital and parenting a preemie at home, all the while providing an astute combination of statistics, Q&As and first-person notes from 'Dr. Bob.' Employing an honest but reassuring tone, the Sears family addresses all manner of medical questions, as well as parents' frustrations and feelings of helplessness." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

This major new addition to the Sears Parenting Library is a comprehensive, authoritative, and reassuring guide for parents of premature babies. 20 line drawings & photos.