What to Do When Your Baby Is Premature: A Parent's Handbook for Coping with High-Risk Pregnancy and Caring for the Preterm Infant

by Sharon Simmons Hornfischer and Joseph A. Garcia-Prats

Book Overview

"What's happening to me? Is my baby going to be okay?" Maybe you're reading this guide because you've been told you're at high risk for having a premature baby. Or perhaps you're reading it after your... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812931092
• ISBN13: 9780812931099
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Harmony/Rodale/Convergent
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Review is for "The Premature Baby book" in memory of my first child, born in my 24th week, weighing

In February of 1987, a single mother, I gave birth to my first child, a daughter born to me in my 24th week of pregnancy weighing 1 pound. At birth after two slight exhales and no pushing my littlest one was born to me. I saw her for a brief 2 seconds as she fit inside the doctor's hand, her cry reminiscent of a baby kitten's mew. This was 7 A.M. Immediately she was rushed to the N.I.C.U and I was not able to see her again until 1:30 that afternoon. Overcome with a myriad of emotion I was petrified, wondering if she were still alive and wanting desperately to be with her. When I finally saw her in the incubator with all of her life support tubes I knew I had to do something on my end to help me understand all she was experiencing. When she was two months of age she had gained just one more pound and at 2 months of age and 2 lbs the doctors performed heart and lung surgery on her--but not before enduring one spinal tap after another the weeks before. The day after she was born I took myself to the bookstore and purchased the "Premature Baby Book" which was truly an immense help as I would research each night all of the treatment and care given to my daughter including the surgeries and put together any questions and concerns I so needed to ask the primary care doctors and nurses about each procedure. My daughter passed away at 7 1/2 months after her birth and on my 27th birthday, Sept 17th 1987 just one week before a scheduled brain surgery due to stage 4 Hydrocephalus. I recently turned 62 and my birthday, 35 years ago is the day God took my little one to be with Him. She will always, always be with me and thanks to the Premature Baby book I was able to be there for her.

What I wish I knew before I got pregnant.

My son was born prematurely June 10, 2004. My 30 week ultrasound came back showing that my ambionic fluid was low and my baby only weighed 2 lbs. 7 ounces. The next day I was sent by my OB/GYN to meet with a perinatologist. Within 15 minutes of meeting the specialist, I was told my baby would be born witihin 24 to 48 hours and was admitted to the hospital 30 minutes later. My son was born via emergency csection 27 hours later. I was 31 weeks into my pregancy. He will spend 9 weeks in neonatal ICU before he can come home. This so far, has been the hardest and most heartbreaking part of my entire pregnancy.I am 30 years old and was diagnosed with chronic high blood pressure two years ago. This book is a step by step account of what happened to me. I developed pregnancy induced hypertension which turned into preeclampsia. None of my doctors (family practicioner or OB/GYN) told me how dangerous and high risk my pregnancy would be. I wish I knew then what this book has taught me now, it has been a real eyeopener and lifesaver.

essential for (expecting) preemie-parents

Upon hearing you're pregnant, most people will only have images of perfect babies. When hearing something is going wrong with your pregnancy, most people have no idea what to expect. When I heared I was going to have my baby within half an hour, at 26 weeks of pregnancy... I had no idea what was laying ahead of me. This book prepares you on what to expect when you have a high-risk pregnancy and takes you trough the 24 hours after delivery, your preemies growth and maturation, the neonatal unit, bringing your baby home and later-life development. There is also a part on babies with special needs and a part about when things go wrong. From the many lonely hours I could not be with my baby, I spent many reading this book. The stories of other parents helped me survivng the nicu and the many charts and statistics helped me to get an image on what to expect.Thank you very much for this book.

The book for a high risk pregnancy and the NICU

A very helpful book for reading during your high-risk pregnancy and when your baby is in the NICU. I did think that the anecdotes about women's experiences with terbutaline and magnesium sulfate were unnecessarily alarming. This book complemented Linden's Essential Guide for Parnets of Premature Babies nicely.

Helpful beyond words

This is THE book I wished I'd known about in advance when we developed problems later in my pregnancy. I actually think anyone expecting a baby where there is a possibility of it becoming a high-risk pregnancy (and face it, that could be any of us, right?) should read this book so that you can be prepared to be the best possible advocate for yourself and your child in the NICU and during the transition out. It will also help you understand the complexities of what goes on in the NICU so you can work well with the staff caring for your infant.

Essential reading

This book has been a God-send. Its clear, comprehensive text, helpful illustrations, and authoritative advice (the lead author is a top Houston neonatologist) is just what my husband and I needed when we found out our baby was going to be born prematurely.We especially liked all of the stories and testimony from parents, people who have experienced the fear and uncertainty of high-risk pregnancy. Their stories are incredibly reassuring. We needed to know we weren't alone. This book is a must-have for any parent whose pregnancy is not going as planned.