Dana Wechsler LindenPreemies - Second Edition: The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies (A Pregnancy Guide for Parents)

My only regret is not buying this sooner. My son was born at 25 weeks, and his nurse mentioned this book for me. It took me a whole month to get things together to actually order it, I think I was afraid it wouldn't feel relevant or useful as a micro preemie parent (as so much of the other well meaning advice and support I'd received was clearly targeted for bigger preemies, not the youngest and smallest and sickest). I was absolutely wrong. This book made me feel incredibly seen and supported (as I expect it would all preemie parents regardless of gestational age), while also being a wonderfully important medical reference text. One of the hardest things about a long NICU stay is maintaining good clear communication with doctors when everything is so new and different to us as parents. Knowing I had this text where I could dive in and support my understanding helped me really focus and improve my conversations with doctors. You can tell this was written by two mom's who have really been through it (including one loss) and an incredibly caring neonatologist who has seen it all. I wound up buying extra copies to leave behind at the NICU for other parents. I hope they continue to update this invaluable text! I could've used even more on life after NICU, maybe something to consider for future editions.

I never write book reviews. This is THE BEST, most important book I’ve ever read. Our baby was born at 25 weeks (he’s now at 28 weeks), and I only wish they handed this to us the night he was born. You feel like you are in a twilight zone going into the NICU the first few days, not understanding how serious or not serious things are...a million acronyms and medical conditions you’ve never heard of.... If only I had this earlier, I would have slept a lot more the first few weeks I LOVE that it is written in straight talk manner, but also in a way that puts things in perspective and calms most fears. I feel so much better knowing I can look things up in this book and will understand them after visiting with the amazing doctors and nurses. If I ever win the lottery, every NICU is getting copies of this book for all their new to NICU parents. Best 20 dollars I have ever spent. The book is very up to date on research, as the hospital we are at is one of the top in the country and not one thing written in the book has been contradictory to our hospital who does a bunch of research on this stuff.

I bought this book for my daughter . She had preeclampsia and the baby needed to be delivered via emergency C-section. Born at 27 weeks her world was turned upside down. You never imagine having this happen to your child. I did research through nicu websites and foundations out there that help families with babies in nicu. My daughter learns and understands by reading. A degree in microbiology she still had lots of questions . This book gave her the comfort and understanding of becoming a micro premie parent. Her husband also benefited from the book as she began explaining things to him. I highly recommend for any nicu parent or grandparent to read. A great read.

I gave birth to my first child at 28 weeks gestation. This book has helped me out greatly. This book has helped me navigate being in the NICU and all the different things that my son is going through. This book has great information on a multitude of different problems that often arise when dealing with any type of preemie. I really like how it explained things in a way that was demeaning or overly complicated. This book has helped me understand my sons issues and the machines the hospital is using to help him. This book also explained things to me where it made it easier for me to explain the same information to family members and friends that don't get to spend as much time in the NICU as I have been. I would greatly recommend this book to anyone who is at risk of having a preemie, just had a preemie, or knows someone who has a preemie. I purchased the kindle version and the actual book. The kindle version is great on a kindle fire because you can go to the table of contents and just click on a specific topic and it takes you start to the page. However nothing beats having the actual boom therefore I had to purchase it to add to my home library.

Our daughter was born 3 months early and this book has been a huge help in navigating the NICU and our own expectations. My only complaint is that the book still addresses dad involvement as a bonus. The tone and approach for dads make it seem like they are a bonus parent opting in at times and that's just not consistent with the way a lot of men are stepping up to be active and involved dads. Would love to see that update in the third version of this book

No one ever pictures they'd be a NICU family with a preemie baby. We sure didn't see it ourselves. Our daughter was born on the edge of viability, just barely 27 weeks & was an extremely sick micropreemie baby. (She weighed 1 pound and a few ounces.) After 184 days of being in the NICU, my husband & I were still in a tailspin, looking for answers...this book gave us a direction to start. It's comprehensive, but compassionate. It gives resources but remains relatable. Things YOU NEED when preemie life gets rolling and you don't know which way is up. The authors speak from a place as both mommies and as professionals. We appreciated that it wasn't just a pet project from two academics; they've been there-even understand child loss & stillbirth. For us, our journey into disability & special needs has become a little more clear and the perspectives offered in this book certainly gave words to some of our experiences. I'm recommending it AND the app to other NICU families and NICU grads.