Alex [Hardcover]

Jeff Stimpson STIMPSON (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stimpson's memoir of the first seven years of his preemie son Alex's life reads like a diary, often compelling in its immediacy, sometimes mind-numbing in its excruciating detail. Because of a condition called intrauterine growth retardation, in which the fetus's growth is dangerously slow, doctors induced Alex's birth after a six-and-a-half-month pregnancy, hoping he'd "do better outside the womb than inside." With a birth weight of 21 ounces, Alex spent almost all of his first year in the hospital, attached to "[b]lue tubes, green tubes, clear tubes, fat tubes, fine tubes" that kept him alive. Life with a premature infant in the hospital was emotionally wrenching, and Stimpson's descriptions of the grueling routine he and his wife endured are heartrending. When Alex finally came home, there were new problems: getting him off his medications, feeding tube and, finally, his oxygen tank; trying to interest him in eating; dealing with his possible autism and mental retardation; and handling the inevitable health insurance struggles. Stimpson, a journalist currently with Practical Accountant magazine, provides a vivid picture of life in a preemie's family that will surely interest other parents of preemies, as well as anyone planning a family, but his real-time journaling style, exemplified by the listing of all of Alex's toys, or everything he ate on a given day, will test the will of even the most sympathetic reader.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

When Alex was born prematurely in 1998, he weighed only 21 ounces. He spent only four days of the first tentative year of his life at home. The rest was spent in the hospital in one critical medical situation after another, with Stimpson and his wife battling hospital staff, fighting to keep the treatments and procedures to a minimum. Stimpson chronicles the day-to-day struggle to keep Alex alive and, later, to make something of a normal life for him as Stimpson and his wife slowly come to terms with their child's physical and mental limitations. Alex's homecoming only shifted the venue for constant care, worries, and crises. Tracing Alex's development from premature birth to kindergarten, Stimpson offers a compelling look at the roller coaster of emotions faced by parents with a severely ill child who must contend with sometimes supportive and sometimes callous medical and social workers as they advocate for the maximum care and opportunity for their child. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 270 pages
• Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers; 1 edition (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897335287
• ISBN-13: 978-0897335287
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a very accurate account of what it's like ..., September 4, 2005

By 

Anonymous (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alex (Hardcover)

I am a grandparent of preemies, so I know that Jeff Stimpson's book is an honest and moving account of what it's like to watch a brave tiny baby go through medically necessary procedures that you can't bear to watch, and then what it's like to take a preemie home who is extremely fragile and on various medical equipment. Coming through an experience like the one related in "Alex: The Fathering of a Preemie" is something that changes your perception of the world forever, and makes you acutely aware of the fragility of life, and how poignant every day is that we have with our loved ones.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling account of raising a very tiny preemie, February 22, 2005

By 

Allison Martin "Book Reviewer" (comeunity.com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alex (Hardcover)

Alex, The Fathering of a Preemie is the compelling first hand account of raising child who was born extremely premature. Alex was born weighing only 23 ounces and spent one year in Neonatal Intensive Care in the hospital. As you might expect his time in the hospital was rocky, a wild ride on the often frightening preemie roller coaster. Once he came home from the hospital he still needed oxygen and feeding assistance for several years. Even as he began to get stronger, concerns were raised over developmental issues as he moved through preschool.

Jeff Stimpson skillfully describes in intimate and accurate detail the emotional and practical impact of raising a very small preemie. The ups and downs, the joys and grief, the worries and just pure frustrations are beautifully elaborated. For most people who face this reality, life is an exhausting and apparently never ending blur, filled with emotional highs and lows. Jeff shows that parents can not only survive this journey, but maintain their hopes and sense of humor. His love for his son shines through on every page.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, honest, raw, compassionate, January 14, 2005

By 

Laura BB (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alex (Hardcover)

Jeff Stimpson writes with wry humor, raw anger and complete candor as he walks through the life of his premature son, Alex. Some of the best moments in the books are in the retelling of the conversations between Jeff and his wife, Jill. As someone who has walked the road filled with landmines - that is the road of prematurity, I can say that this book is an honest and heartfelt account of the trials and tribulations of dealing with multiple opinions, distant doctors, conflicting emotions, and rude and insensitive comments from those who may not even mean to be rude and insensitive. Jeff and Jill showed great courage in their decisions about "what was best for Alex" and trusted their instincts. It's an inspiring read. Medical professionals should read ... there's a lot to be said about "family centered care" (or the lack thereof). Parents deserve more than many medical professionals are willing to give.

Jeff has given us all a gift by writing this book. From the first page to the last, I was enraptured by the weaving of the story and Jeff's eloquent use of the language.

Alex, buddy, you are loved. You are loved by people from all over the world who have never even met you.

A must-read.