Customer Reviews

Living Miracles: Stories of Hope from Parents of Premature Babies

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Three years ago, I took a trip to my local book store in search of books about preemies. The selection I found was limited at best. I spent hours searching for a book with real stories about babies born prematurely-I found not one. I found some good informative books, which were also important, but none that gave me the kind of hope and inspiration I so desperately needed those weeks and months after my daughter was born at 25 weeks gestation. When I heard about this book, Living Miracles, Stories of Hope from Parents of Premature Babies, edited by Kimberly A. Powell & Kim Wilson, I thought to myself, "Well, it's about time there came about a book like this!" I was very excited about the book as I sat down to read it, but nothing could have prepared me for how wonderful the book turned out to be!

The book is laid out by gestation from 23 weeks to 36 weeks, with 22 stories in all. They have various outcomes, just as in real life. Each story is written from the parent's point of view, which makes it that much more gripping. There are stories where the children come out virtually unscathed from their experience with prematurity, and also stories where children have severe complications due to their prematurity. There are also stories about children who have problems completely unrelated to their prematurity. However the stories end up, they are all very touching and inspiring.

This is a book not only for parents of premature babies, but for everyone. You can't help but feel inspired after reading the stories of these heroic children born with the deck stacked against them. It is good for new parents of premature babies to give them hope for the future and make them realize they are not alone in what they are feeling the hours, weeks and months after their babies are born; For families of people with babies born premature to help them understand some of what the new parents are going through and feeling; For the average person who doesn't even know that there are over 400,000 babies born prematurely every year. It is important for people to be more aware of the many babies who are born early, and also that there are a number of reasons babies are born premature. Hopefully this book will find it's way to those people who don't have a clue that the preemie world even exists-just as I didn't just a short 3 years and some change ago! But most importantly, it is a great book for new parents of preemie babies because there is so much uncertainty after their birth.

As the contributor of one of the stories in this book, I've been anxiously awaiting its arrival since I wrote the story. There's also no 'pocket padding' here in plugging this book since I receive nothing but intense pride for my contribution. The purpose of this book is not to make money (although more sales would allow more to be printed). The purpose of this book is to give hope to parents and family when they believe there is none to be had. This book definitely meets that criteria. From front to back, the stories are jam-packed with the full gamut of emotions, all of which we felt when Zak (Chigger) was born. So buy the book and read the stories, keeping some Kleenex handy. You won't regret it. And if you're touched by them as much as others, get an extra copy for your local NICU, ICU, pediatric office, school, parent of a preemie child, or whatever. Let others know there is always hope.

This is a much needed book for parents just entering the world of prematurity. The families in this book do a wonderful job of allowing the reader to relate. Although there are many books on prematurity, none approach the subject quite in this light. Reading the stories in the parents own words is refreshing and eye opening. The pictures at birth and later provide a lot of hope for those still tiny infants. I highly recommend this book to all parents of premature babies, and their families. This book would be particularly helpful to family members that do not understand the world of prematurity.

I went down this dark road after the premature birth of my daughter at 27 weeks gestation. Living Miracles offers hope to those who might feel their situation is hopeless, but it is not for the faint of heart. To be the mother or father of a premature child, especially with one who develops problems, one must learn to be strong, resilient, loving, and patient. It is a selfess calling, as these parents show us. And it always, always helps to know you are not alone . . .

Thank you for sharing!

I am the "Sara" profiled in the book, and what an honor it was to be selected as one of the many subjects described in this first-hand account by parents of premature babies. My mother gave me the task of typing her manuscript for this book, and I became so emotionally--overwhelmed that I had to stop and go back to it a few days later! Seeing my mother's story through my adult eyes was a whole new way of reading about the experience of prematurity, especially because her story was recalling my own battle. This collection is an important addition to the roster of books about premature babies because it's stories are the stories of parents who have experienced prematurity first-hand. This intimate narrative will doubtless provide comfort and give parents of premature babies the opportunity to relate to the experiences highlighted therein, as well as contribute to more frequent discussion about the subject.

I am an RN and I worked in NICU 10 years ago...it was an experience I will never forget. Like the mothers in Living Miracles, I too came to realize that dealing with the roller coaster experiences in the life of a preemie can be difficult to handle. The 'one step forward, three steps back' is a way of life for these little ones, and for their parents. I applaud the parents who submitted their stories to the authors. Sharing the ups and downs of premature birth indeed encourage others when they are facing the same. In reading this book, I was reminded of how my role as nurse affected the parents. It also provided me more insight into how nurses responses are understood (and misunderstood) by the parents. I highly recommend it to both the preemie parents as well as the NICU nurse.

I'm am blessed to be Aidan's Mother. One of the older preemies in the book. In fact this is one fo the things best about this book. It counts the feelings and fears of older preemie parents as valid too. From mirco preemie to just about term, the book offers the reader valuable insights into the road preemie new parents take. I have not read a better book on preemies. Since it is written in the parents voice, it is very comforting to read that others had the same emotions and fears as you did. The before and after pictures also give hope! This book is wonderful and I say that not as one of the contibutors but as a Mother of a preemie and a second low birth weight baby.

This book is excellent! A source of inspiration and hope, as well as an education to those who have never personally experienced the trauma a premature child faces, and the heartache of the childs parents. I only wish I had this 4 years ago when my daughter was born 12 weeks too soon.

This book brought tears of joy with every story. It's hard to believe what some of these couples and babies have survived -- they really are living miracles. The honest, detailed descriptions of the often difficult pregnancies, the deliveries, the time spent in the NICU and finally the trip home provide a clear, realistic picture into the roller coaster ride of having a preemie. This book would certainly provide encouragement to families in this situation, and for those who've never been through it, you'll be better able to understand some of the feelings the parents experience as well as some of the medical terminology common to preemies. God bless the parents who were willing to share their stories, their pain, their joy. God bless these miracle children!

This book helps readers understand the preemie birth experience. It has perspectives from different families, and how they dealt with the time spent in NICU and afterwards. It is definitely a hopeful book for parents who need support, and it is also realistic about what these preemies go through. This is a great gift for the library of the preemie parent or others who want to know what it is really like to parent these babies.