Books and other articles followed by BLB can be obtained from the Birth and Life Bookstore, 141 Commercial Street NE, Salem, OR 97301, customer service and catalog requests (503) 371-4445, orders (800) 443-9942, fax (503) 371-5395.
Books and other articles followed by CC can be obtained from Centering Corporation, 1531 N Saddle Creek Road, Omaha, NE 68104, phone (402) 553-1200, fax (402) 553-0507.
"The Premature Baby Book" by Helen Harrison, St. Martin's Press, NY, 1983.
"Your Premature Baby" by Frank P. Manginello, MD and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo
MEd., Wiley, NY, 1991.
"Kangaroo Care" by Susan M. Ludington-Hoe, Ph.D. with Susan K. Golant, Bantam
Books, NY, 1993.
Now there is wonderful news for both babies and parents. Kangaroo Care,
a technique
pioneered in leading neonatal centers worldwide, gives you a unique role: a
special way of
holding your infant that provides crucial health benefts - including shorter
hospital stays.
Based on ground-breaking research, "Kangaroo Care" is a step-by-step
guide to
bringing these benefits to your baby - even if your neonatal unit does not
yet have a
Kangaroo Care program. BLB.
"Born Too Soon, The Story of Emily, Our Premature Baby", by Elizabeth Mehren, Doubleday, NY, NY, 1991.
Less than six months into a long-awaited pregnancy, Elizabeth Mehren
was flying
across the country when her water broke. She managed to make it home to a
hospital in
New York, where doctors told her the baby was too small to survive the birth
process.
But with a hearty cry, a golden haired girl named Emily was born. She
weighed just one
pound, eleven ounces.
Emily became one of 275,000 premature babies born each year in this
country. Her
birth plunged Mehren and her husband, fellow journalist Fox Butterfield,
into a strange
world of very tiny babies housed in clear plastic boxes and kept alive by
high-tech
medicine. Miracles occurred daily; tragedy, too. For six weeks, Mehren
could not even
hold her daughter. But with her hand through a porthole in Emily's isolette,
she could feel
her daughters's powerful grip. This simple act-a small hand clutched around
her mother's
finger-was their only form of mother-daughter contact.
Nurses deemed Emily "the fighter," one of the many nicknames they had for
the
children, whose personalities ran the gamut from "whiner" to "coquette."
The babies'
arents were just as diverse, for prematurity knows no bounds of race,
religion, or income.
Mehren writes openly of how anxiety about Emily tested her marriage. She
describes how
some doctors, possessing more technological expertise than sensitivity, added
frustration
to an already tense situation. But caring nurses, other parents, and friends
and family
helped ease the strain.
"Born too Soon" is a story of learning to deal with life's unexpected
trials. Mostly, it is
the story of one tiny child's large message, that courage can come in small
packages.
"The Pain of Premature Parents: A Psychological Guide to Coping" by Michael
Hynan, Ph.D, University Press of America, Lanhan, MD, 1987.
It is no secret that parents of premature or high-risk infants need
emotional support in
coping. The emergence of parent groups throughout the USA and international
organizations like Parent Care attest to this grass roots movement. This
book carries on
the tradition of parents helping parents.
I have combined my background as a clinical psychologist with my
experience of being
a premature parent in writing this book. I describe the common difficulties
of prematurity
and how these problems affected my family and many others. I also give
advice about
how you can adjust to your situation.
“Dear Zoe” by Max DePree, HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1996.
"Baby Hands and Baby Feet -- Poems and Drawings from the Nursery," by Nancy J. Kennedy and David Pegher, NICU-Ink, 1995. Can be obtained from NICU-Ink, 1304 Southpoint Blvd, Suite 280, Petaluma, CA 94954-6895, phone (707) 762-2646.
(Not from book jacket) David is an elementary school teacher. While an undergrad at Carnegie Mellon Univ, he took an art in society class. A requirement was that he incorporate art into a non-traditional setting. He decided that he wanted to be a babyholder for a NICU. All the Pittsburgh NICUs turned him down, except for Transistional Infant Care, a step-down hospital in Pitttsburgh. He began to sketch the babies for parents, and was eventually named Artist in Residence.
"When Pregnanct Isn't Perfect" by Laurie Rich.
Like most women, Laurie Rich expected her pregnancy to be perfect. Instead, she had ten major, painful and debilitating complications that kept her bedridden for seven months, ending with a five-week hospital stay and her premature delivery by cesarian section. During this time, Laurie searched in vain for a book that would tell her what was happening to her and why. That is why she decided to write the book she wished she had read while she was pregnant. The result is this invaluable guide, packed with comprehensive information and reassurance for the many women who, like Laurie, develop such conditions as: hypertension, toxemia, preeclamsia, and eclampsia; intrauterine growth retardation syndrome; placenta previa, prenatal abruption, and other causes of bleeding during pregnancy; threatened miscarriage and “incompetent cervix”; preterm labor and delivery.
There is also a wealth of advice on coping with such problems as multiple pregnancy and cesarian delivery and a special chapter for fathers - who are too often negleted when complications arise. Filled with both help and hope, this information-packed book is essential reading for all expectant mothers. BLB.
“Breastfeeding Your Premature Baby” by Walker and Driscoll.
(From BLB catalog) Specific guidelines for nursing a premature baby. BLB.
“Breastfeeding Premature Babies” from Le Leche League’s Lactation Consultant Department. BLB.
“Nursing Your Premature Baby” by Childbirth Graphics. BLB.
“Breastfeeding Your Premature Baby” by Le Leche League. BLB.
“Early Beginnings: Development in Children Born Preterm” by MacArthur and Dezoete. 1992.
In the United States alone, more than 250,000 families each year have the experience of a preterm birth. Today, though some six percent of births are classified as preterm, the outlook for these children is better than ever before. Parents can do much to help. This book answers the questions many parents ask, and guides them in caring for their child. It has been written to assist the parents and families of these special children. It describes how children may develop, from the earliest days to school-age and beyond. Several case studies, written by parents, have also been included. The final chapter gives a brief introduction to some of the research that has been done in the field of preterm birth, and there is a reading list for those who want to explore further. BLB.
“In Time and With Love” by Marilyn Segal. Revised 1988.
(From BLB catalog) Caring for the special needs baby. All aspects of care for preterm and handicapped children in their first three years. BLB.
“Special Beginnings” (From BLB catalog)
For parents with an infant in intensive care. BLB.
“Baby Talk” by Dale Hatcher and Kathy Lehman.
(From Centering Corporation catalog) Discusses states, listening to baby’s body language. Invaluable to NICU parents. CC.
“Daddy: NICU”
(From Centering Corporation catalog) When a group of dads said they needed a book, we asked them to talk into a tape for us. This is what they said. It feels as if you are actually having a strong cup of coffee with these men. CC.
“Loving and Letting Go” by Deborah Davis, Ph.D.
(From Centering Corporation catalog) For those parents who decide to turn away from aggressive medical intervention for their critically ill newborns. “If reading this book moves you to cry, try to accept this reaction. These are healing tears of grief. They are also tears of health and strength theat merge with those of other bereaved parents. You are not alone.” Here’s an elegant book that says sometimes the truly heroic measure is to let nature take its course. Deborah covers Triumphs and Traps of Modern Medicine, Facing the Decision, Dilemmas of Withdrawing Artificial Support, After Baby Dies, and much more. There’s a super section on dealing with painful comments. For example, when you hear, “Miracles happen to those who have enough faith,” Debbie suggests: “Well, then, it’s too bad you weren’t more involved.” The final, gentle chapter is entitled “Letting Go With Love.” And that’s what this most supportive book is all about. CC.
“Special Beginnings”
(From Centering Corporation catalog) Talks about feelings, staff, and the roller coaster of the special care experience. CC.
"Born Early" by Dr. Mary Ellen Every, Little, Brown and Company, 1982.
"Understanding My Signals" by Brenda Hussey (now Hussey-Gardner)
These have been recommended to me by several people, however, according to Barnes and Noble, they are no longer available.
(From Centering Corporation catalog) Since you can’t go to a store and buy a baby book that measures blood gases or records the date your baby goes off the respirator, we wrote one with a lot of good consultation. It also has charts measuring baby’s growth, lots of places to write out questions, journal feelings, record numbers you need to know, charts for feeding and any surgeries and test that come along. CC.
Tiny Treasures
c/o Sara Matzoll-Phillips
1272 Ironwood Lane #1
Eagan, MN 55123
Tiny Treasures is an organization dedicated to providing support and
information to
parents having experienced a premature or high risk birth.
The PREEMIE-L open mailing list is primarily for parents with children born six weeks or more before due date. Having a premature baby can be a scary and lonely business. We hope that through this list parents of preemies can offer each other support and the benefits of a wide range of experiences. Members of the group are interested in exchanging information and opinions on a range of issues. For example, one member wants to chat about "developmental delays, the developmental tests and my opinions about them, feeding issues, how other preemies are dealing with the outside world. And lots more."
To subscribe to this group, email to majordomo@vicnet.net.au. Leave the subject line blank, and put: subscribe preemie-l youremailaddress as the first line. (Of course, put in your own email address instead of youremailaddress). You should get a brief message back welcoming you to the group. If you have any problems, email the owner.
Note - the name of the group is preemie-l (l as in lizard not 1 as in numeral one).
If you have anything (introduction, comments, questions, etc.) that you wish to distribute to all members of the preemie-l group, send it as e-mail to preemie-l@vicnet.net.au.
There is a homepage for the mailing list at http://www.vicnet.net.au/~garyh/preemie.htm. We encourage subscribers to send an introductory message, so we all know one another and where we are coming from. You can see the list of families already on preemie-l at http://www.vicnet.net.au/~garyh/famil.htm. Owner: Gary Hardy <garyh@vicnet.net.au>
For Parents of Preemies, Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
http://www.medsch.wisc.edu/childrenshosp/parents_of_preemies/index.html
Breastfeeding FAQ: contact Justine Diamond at jdiamond@nic.com.
Often, you can find other parents of preemies on the newsgroups misc.kids and misc.kids.pregnancy
On America Online, you can usually find preemie folders under Keyword: PIN, parent-to-parent and Keyword TNPC.
Thank you.
Mary Searcy, 1118 34thStreet SW,
Wyoming, MI 49509, MarAim@aol.com.