Synopses & Reviews
Preemies is the only resource of its kind -- a comprehensive "Dr. Spock"-like reference that is both reassuring and realistic, delivering up-to-the-minute information on medical care in a warm, caring, and engaging voice. Authors Dana Wechsler Linden and Emma Trenti Paroli are parents who have "been there." Together with neonatologist Mia Wechsler Doron, they answer the dozens of questions that parents will have at every stage -- from high-risk pregnancy through preemie's hospitalization, to homecoming and the preschool years -- imparting a vast, detailed store of knowledge in clear language that all readers can understand.
Preemies covers topics related to premature birth,including:
- What are your risk factors for having a premature baby?
- Can you do something to delay early labor?
- What do doctors know about you baby's outlook during her first minutes and days of life?
- How will your preemie's progress be monitored?
- Can you breastfeed your preemie?
- How do you cope with a long hospitalization?
- What should you know if your baby needs surgery?
- Are there special preparations for you baby's homecoming?
- What kind of stimulation during the first year gives your baby the best chance?
- Will your preemie grow up healthy? Normal?
Review
Avroy A Fanaroff, M.D., FRCP[E]Professor, Pediatrics and Neonatology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Co-director, Division of Neonatology, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ClevelandThis extremely comprehensive and informative book, written in plain language, will serve as a comforting companion for parents and health-care professionals alike.
Synopsis
Dana Wechsler Linden and Emma Trenti Paroli, both mothers of children who were born prematurely, have joined with neonatologist Mia Wechsler Doron, M.D., to write the book they wish had been available to them during their pregnancies and beyond. Filled with up-to-date, comprehensive medical information and personal perspectives and written in an easy question-and-answer format, Preemies grades new parents through the many uncertainties of carrying and caring for a premature baby.
Read all about:
-- The risk factors for premature pregnancy
-- Strategies to delay early labor
-- What to expect the first minutes, days, weeks, and years of a preemie's life
-- How to deal with the range of emotions surrounding your preemie's birth -- Special preparations for bringing your baby home
-- ....and much, much more.
About the Author
DANA WECHSLER LINDEN, a journalist, was a senior editor at
Forbes magazine when she gave birth to premature twins. She lives in
New York City with her husband and two daughters.
MIA WECHSLER DORON, M.D., a neonatologist at the
Newborn Critical Care Center at the
University of
North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, is Dana’s sister. In addition to caring for patients, she conducts clinical research, teaches, and writes on ethics and medical decision making. Mia lives in
North Carolina with her husband and daughter.
EMMA TRENTI PAROLI, a medical news writer, has authored cover stories for L’Espresso and other leading publications. She and Dana met when their children shared the same room in the neonatal intensive care unit. Emma lives in New York City with her husband and son.
Table of Contents
ContentsIntroduction
A Note to the Reader: How to Use This Book
Part I
Before Birth
1 In the Womb: Why Premature Birth Happens and What Can Be Done to Prevent It
For parents trying to grasp the extent of their risk, and what they can do to minimize it. Also for parents looking back, trying to make sense of what happened.
Part II
In the Hospital
2 Welcome to the World: Your Baby's Delivery
Your baby's transition from the womb to the world. Preparing for, and understanding, a premature birth.
3 The First Day
Entering the foreign world of the neonatal intensive care unit. Why it's the best place for you baby to be.
4 The First Week
A time of crucial test results and waiting. Understanding that things sometimes get worse before they get better.
5 Settling Down in the Hospital
Making the NICU the best possible home-away-from-home for you and your baby.
6 If Your Baby Needs Surgery
Guiding parents through an event that is usually scarier than it needs to be.
Part III
A Life Together
7 Finally Taking Your Baby Home
Decisions and preparations for the moment you've been waiting for.
8 From Preemie to Preschool (and Beyond)
A time to watch you baby's health and development -- and gradually begin to relax and enjoy!
9 When Parents Have Something Special to Worry About
Learning more about some possible consequences of prematurity.
Part IV
Other Considerations
10 Losing a Baby
Helping you deal with a profound grief, and guiding you through the necessary arrangements.
Appendices
Appendix 1: Conversion Charts
Appendix 2: Growth Charts
Appendix 3: A Schedule for Months
Appendix 4: Cardio-Pulmonary Resucitation -- Birth to One Year
Appendix 5: Resources for Parents of Premature Babies
Glossary
Index