Preemie Care: A Guide to Navigating the First Year with Your Premature Baby

by Karen Lasby, Tammy Sherrow

An essential resource for parents of premature babies.The birth of a new baby is a time full of joy and wonder. But when your baby is born premature, that joy also comes with stresses and challenges.Written for parents, but full of practical advice for health care professionals alike, Preemie Care helps ease the unique preemie journey to health, with a comprehensive guide to the first year of life. Leading neonatal nurse specialists Karen Lasby and Tammy Sherrow draw on their decades of experience, empowering you with the knowledge and resources to give your little one the best possible start in life—in the NICU and beyond.In Preemie Care, you will • How to care for yourself and your baby while in the NICU• What to expect at the time of discharge, and how to prepare for the journey home• Strategies to foster your baby's health and prevent illness• Everything you need to know about feeding—from the breast, bottle, tube, and spoon• How to support and stimulate your baby at each key developmental phase• Tips for self-care during this challenging year• And much, much more, including stories from other preemie parentsHaving a premature baby can feel like an unexpected journey on rough seas. With extensive and up-to-date information about how to look after your little one, Preemie Care will be a life preserver through these tumultuous waters and will help steer you confidently through the first year of your baby’s life.

Genres: Parenting

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2019

About the author

Tammy Sherrow has a bachelor of science degree and a master’s degree in nursing. During her thirty-three years as a nurse, the majority of her clinical experience has focused on the premature population, both in the NICU and in the community, as a staff nurse, educator, manager, and researcher. Tammy spent five years working with a specialized neonatal team following very low birth weight preemies and their families at home and knows firsthand the challenges they can face, especially during that first year. Tammy has published professional articles on the topics of parenting a preemie and gastroesophageal reflux management and has been a co-investigator in neonatal research projects on oral feeding and post-discharge outcomes. She has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on the topics of premature babies and NICU-to-home transition. She is an associate professor at the School of Nursing & Midwifery at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta.

Reviews

[Merilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the layout and the way this is written. I know I'll reread and reread certain passages for sure (both because I'm sleep-deprived and because it's really helpful!!)

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comprehensive, reassuring, and easy to digest - full of good info that has more medical backing than other books in the same category. A great resource that we'll be sure to return to many times!

[Rita Pot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for any parents of preemies. Just wished they had a section on the financial hardships and maybe some tips for parents on how do deal with this time.

[Sarah Diehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written, lots of good information on every aspect of babies. Great tips, easy to digest information, illustrations, and uplifting stories. Was a joy to read.

[Hanneke Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent guide when taking your preemie baby home after the NICU. Easy and well written.

[Radostina Radost · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book ❤️
No nonsense guide on how to navigate life with a preemie and a newborn in general.

[hlindaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple layout and straightforward. Must-read for parents with a premature baby, helps in tackling your worries.

[howsoonisnow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple, pithy, cuts to the chase. Each chapter delves into particular aspects of infant rearing i.e. feeding, sleeping, neuromuscular development. Each chapter is divided into subtopics e.g. enteral feeding, and followed by a short expose from different preemie parents talking about their personal experiences. Chapters about adapting to NICU/ SCN life is quite scant, as are vignettes from parents' personal experiences, such that the book didn't provide much emotional comfort. It's more focused on the practical side of infant care. I say infant, rather than preemie, because it isn't really preemie-focused. Which is fine to an extent, as all babies (preemie or otherwise) have similar needs. However, it's very disappointing that there's hardly any information on preemie-specific health issues e.g. ROP, AOP, RDS. Particularly, no information on what to expect at such medical appointments, how to help your baby if they have such conditions, lists of helpful questions to ask specialists. Additionally, there is no information about the types of monitoring/ outpatient tests/ reviews all preemies (including the entirely healthy ones) face e.g. hearing tests, ROP eye tests, physio workups etc. Overall, helpful advice on general infant care, but sorely lacking in preemie-specific information.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for the tangible advice