Caring for Your Premature Baby (Paperback)

~ Alan Klein (Author) "It is two weeks-or a month, or five months-since your infant was born prematurely..." (more)
Key Phrases: kangaroo care, weeks postmenstrual age, neonatal unit, Premature Babe, United States, American Academy of Pediatrics (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Parents of the approximately 11 percent of babies born prematurely (prior to 37 weeks gestation) will find this title a highly valuable resource guide, offering detailed medical information and emotional support. Authors Alan H. Klein, M.D., and Jill Alison Ganon, who deem prematurity "a different beginning," combine the experience of Klein's 25 years as a pediatrician and neonatologist with the assuring point of view of parents who have been there.

Having a baby early births a host of medical complications, such as respiratory, vision, and hearing problems. Parents of premature infants are often plunged unprepared into the mysterious world of medical acronyms, for example: NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit); RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome); CLD (chronic lung disease); and ROP (retinopathy of prematurity). In chapters focusing on respiratory, neurological, and nutritional needs, as well as vision and hearing problems, Klein and Ganon describe medical conditions, treatments, and options so parents can make the best decisions. Chapters on changing expectations, parenting a child in the neonatal unit, and taking baby home balance the medical with the emotional issues of parenting a premature child. "Pessimism serves no purpose whatsoever," writes Klein. Indeed, the true-life stories and photographs of premature infants developing into healthy, rounded babies and children offer an overwhelming sense of hope and encouragement. --Ericka Lutz

Product Description

The premature birth of a baby often takes parents by surprise, leaving them unprepared for the puzzling emotions and medical complications that may follow early deliveries. Caring for Your Premature Baby is a comprehensive and reassuring look at everything from state of the art medical information, to the incredible importance of a parent1s loving touch. It shows parents how to work with the healthcare team in providing their baby with the very best care.

Caring for Your Premature Baby guides parents step by step through:

• Coping with the complex emotions that often accompany an early birth

• How to be an active participant in caring for your baby in the neonatal unit

• Understanding medical complications and the range of possible treatments

• Preparing for that wonderful day when you take your baby home

• Working with health insurance providers and managing the ongoing care that your baby may need

• Plus, roundtable discussions among the authors and parents of premature babies

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; 1 edition (September 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062736205
• ISBN-13: 978-0062736208
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #909,305 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope and information for parents of premature babies!, June 12, 1999

By A Customer

This book offers a comprehensive guide for the complexities facing parents' of premature infants. It is a marvelously optimistic and understanding presentation of the challenges and opportunities for surmounting them written for families' experiencing the birth and care of premature infants. Active participation of parents' in the often unfamiliar setting of the intensive care nursery is guided and encouraged by the authors, one of whom has specialized in the care of premature infants for more than 25 years. Strategies for coping with this emotional and complex life event are discussed with a rare combination of empathy and medically accurate detail. Ways in which parents and families can be advocates for their infants both in the nursery and later at home are presented by mothers and fathers, in their own words, who have cared for their own premature babies. Sources of support for parents are recounted by the authors and within these parents' stories. I highly recommend this book to families seeking reassurance and accessible knowledge about the changes and adjustments accompanying premature birth.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Source of Information for Parents of Preemies, August 8, 2000

By	Art Stevens (Blue State, USA) - See all my reviews

While this book was at times difficult to read, it was very informative and helped fill in the gaps between our daily talks with the NICU pediatricians. It's suited for both the parents of preemies (34 weeks or less) or pre-term babies (34-36 weeks); there is a chapter dedicated to the latter, and much of the material is applicable to both. Hopefully you'll never have a need for this book, but if you do it's a good one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A caring and sensitive treatment of a difficult subject, December 9, 1998

By A Customer

If nothing else, the dedication by the authors should be a major clue that this isn't the cookie cutter process exploiting a sensitive subject. Clear, crisp and accessable.