Book Review: Preemies by Dana Wechsler Linden, Emma Treti Paroli, and Mia Wachsler Doron

The books to return were already in the car and were already overdue when we had our visit to the midwife, so I had no choice but to return them to the library. I briefly contemplated just driving through the bookdrop – I had officially just been put on bedrest.

But I’d just been put on bedrest. I’d need some reading material. Specifically I wanted something on pre-eclampsia.

I returned the books, seated myself at the computer catalog, and only rose when I had Dewey Decimal numbers for all my books.

There were no books on preeclampsia, but one on preemies showed up under that search, so I figured I might as well see what that book had to say about preeclampsia.

Thus, I returned home with Linden, Paroli, and Doron’s Preemies. I didn’t start reading it right off, but when we were admitted to the hospital immediately after our OB appointment the next day, I requested that Daniel bring the book with him when he returned to the hospital.

Preemies turned out to be a really fantastic, comprehensive look at the struggles of premature babies and their parents. The chapters are arranged chronologically, from “In the Womb” to “The First Day” all the way to “From Preemie to Preschool (and Beyond)”. Each chapter begins with Parents’ Stories, then The Doctor’s Perspective, then Questions and Answers. Finally, the authors include a small section on special issues facing preemie multiples during that stage.

I read this book from cover to cover (except for the final chapter on losing a baby – I’m almost certain that chapter would have had me distraught) and found it to be a valuable resource for understanding what was happening with our Tirzah Mae (and thankfully, many complications that weren’t happening).

Of course, most mothers of preemies don’t have advance warning like I did – eight days of hospitalized bedrest during which I could read and prepare myself for the inevitable premature birth of our baby (even as we tried to keep her in the womb as long as possible.) Also, most mothers of preemies are presumably not quite as voracious readers as I am. But Preemies takes that into account, offering a comprehensive table of contents that includes each question to be addressed in the Q&A section of each chapter – thus allowing parents of preemies to easily find answers to their specific question without having to read through all 572 pages of this tome.

This book’s strong point is definitely the descriptions of the medical procedures and processes that take place in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – It is not as good at detailing what happens or what to do after your infant comes home from the NICU. That said, I would still highly recommend this as a resource for parents of preemies in the NICU.


Rating: 4 stars
Category: Medical/Parenting
Synopsis: A comprehensive look at the various challenges faced by preemies and their parents, particularly during a stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Recommendation: Well-written, comprehensive, understandable descriptions of common medical procedures and complications. Recommended for parents of preemies currently in the NICU.

3 thoughts on “Book Review: <em>Preemies</em> by Dana Wechsler Linden, Emma Treti Paroli, and Mia Wachsler Doron”

  1. That would have been such a great resource when Timothy was in the NICU. The whole preemie experience was an education for me – I had thought once they could breath on their own, they were good to go, and since he came out crying and was only on a nasal canula after birth, I thought he’d be home in a few days. Little did I know! Thankfully the NICU staff was great at explaining procedures and potential problems.

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  2. I think it’s really amazing sometimes what books God “drops into our laps” at certain times in our lives. I know that you were looking for information but I still think it’s just incredible the way that you ultimate obtained this book and how perfectly timed it was for what you needed. He is good!

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