Medical professionals who are mothers of premature babies offer guidance for similarly situated parents, starting from bringing the baby home to putting the child in school. Illustrations.

"Your Premature Baby" is the definitive guide to every aspect of nurturing a child who is born too soon. Reassuring and frank, it informs and guides parents right from their baby's too-early birth into the growing years. Full color.

A reassuring and realistic comprehensive guide to preemie medical care—now updated to reflect the many advances in neonatology. Preemies, Second Edition is the only parents’ reference resource of its kind—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 hospitalization, to homecoming and the preschool years—imparting a vast, detailed store of knowledge in clear language that all readers can understand. Preemies, Second Edition 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? -How do you cope with a long hospitalization? -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? Comprehensive and reassuring, Preemies provides the answers to questions that any concerned parent might have.

An essential resource for parents of premature babies. The birth of a new baby is a time full of joy and wonder. But when your baby is born premature, that joy also comes with stresses and challenges. Written for parents, but full of practical advice for health care professionals alike, Preemie Care helps ease the unique preemie journey to health, with a comprehensive guide to the first year of life. Leading neonatal nurse specialists Karen Lasby and Tammy Sherrow draw on their decades of experience, empowering you with the knowledge and resources to give your little one the best possible start in life--in the NICU and beyond. In Preemie Care, you will learn: - How to care for yourself and your baby while in the NICU - What to expect at the time of discharge, and how to prepare for the journey home - Strategies to foster your baby's health and prevent illness - Everything you need to know about feeding--from the breast, bottle, tube, and spoon - How to support and stimulate your baby at each key developmental phase - Tips for self-care during this challenging year - And much, much more, including stories from other preemie parents Having a premature baby can feel like an unexpected journey on rough seas. With extensive and up-to-date information about how to look after your little one, Preemie Care will be a life preserver through these tumultuous waters and will help steer you confidently through the first year of your baby's life.

The increasing prevalence of preterm birth in the United States is a complex public health problem that requires multifaceted solutions. Preterm birth is a cluster of problems with a set of overlapping factors of influence. Its causes may include individual-level behavioral and psychosocial factors, sociodemographic and neighborhood characteristics, environmental exposure, medical conditions, infertility treatments, and biological factors. Many of these factors co-occur, particularly in those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups. While advances in perinatal and neonatal care have improved survival for preterm infants, those infants who do survive have a greater risk than infants born at term for developmental disabilities, health problems, and poor growth. The birth of a preterm infant can also bring considerable emotional and economic costs to families and have implications for public-sector services, such as health insurance, educational, and other social support systems. Preterm Birth assesses the problem with respect to both its causes and outcomes. This book addresses the need for research involving clinical, basic, behavioral, and social science disciplines. By defining and addressing the health and economic consequences of premature birth, this book will be of particular interest to health care professionals, public health officials, policy makers, professional associations and clinical, basic, behavioral, and social science researchers.

Twenty-two engrossing stories of babies born prematurely, written by those who felt the agony and the elation the most--their parents.In painstaking and heartfelt detail, these parents share their ordeals: their fears, their joys, the stories of where they turned for help, their tips, and most importantly, their triumphs.Meet babies like:Samuel Warren, who was born at 1 pound 8 ounces when his mother went into preterm labor.Bo Smith, the miracle baby born at only 8 inches long after his mother suffered an antibody disorder.Sara Stromseth, born at 1 pound 15 ounces before modern advances in neonatology and given no chance of living to be the college student she is today.Ryan White, the ultimate proof that parents should never give up hope.Living Miracles includes a complete glossary of premature baby medical terms and is organized by the weeks of gestation of the baby at birth, from twenty-three to thirty-six.

Each year in the United States approximately 440,000 babies are born premature. These infants are at greater risk of death, and are more likely to suffer lifelong medical complications than full-term infants. Clinicians and researchers have made vast improvements in treating preterm birth; however, little success has been attained in understanding and preventing preterm birth. Understanding the complexity of interactions underlying preterm birth will be needed if further gains in outcomes are expected. The Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine sponsored a workshop to understand the biological mechanism of normal labor and delivery, and how environmental influences, as broadly defined, can interact with the processes of normal pregnancy to result in preterm birth. This report is a summary of the main themes presented by the speakers and participants.