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

I am one of the few parents who knew they would have a premature baby. My membranes ruptured at 29 weeks, so I was in the hospital for a few more weeks until I naturally went into labor at 31 weeks. I got this book very early on during my hospital stay to try and prepare myself. This book is very easy to understand. There are plenty of parent stories. I felt very prepared to ask the right questions and to care for her at home. Other preemie books I read had a little too much medical jargon that was difficult to understand. This one had just the right amount!

This book taught me things I didn't know I needed to know. My daughter was born at 30 weeks and I have many times recommended this book to other preemie moms still in the nicu or out. That first year is very challenging and this book helps u understand that it's ok to have those feelings you aren't alone and you still got this which many nicu moms need to hear since we sometimes feel like we failed our child in so many ways!

I would gift this book to parent of every preemie if I could. Take every word this book mentions seriously and re read it at every step. This book not only predicted a lot of problems we were going to face but also suggests upto date, non judgmental and practical advice to tackle them. I come back to this book every book with every challenge we faced with our preemie and find comfort and words of wisdom that help me get through the difficult times.

Out of all the preemie books I read (and I read quite a few), this was my favorite. It is full of great information that is easy to follow. No only that, I contacted Karen (the author) with a question when my preemie was having issues with weight gain, and she set up a free Skype consultation the next day!

This book has been my survival guide through the roller-coaster ride in the NICU with my micro-preemie who was born at 15 oz and now 4 lbs, 5 oz! Great input, intellegent advice.

I wish this was handed out to all parents of preemies when they leave the hospital. I highly recommend mom AND dad read this book.

This book was very helpful and I loved reading other parents experiences!

Maybe if this had been the only baby book I'd read, it would be helpful, but I expected more details about preemie life in this.i didn't know I was having a preemie so didn't have time to read it before baby, and didn't get it until we were home from the NICU,. Half the book was already irrelevant. It was a single baby, so the info on multiples didn't help. And I don't feel there was a significant portion of the book talking about common issues I have no brain so can't remember all my complaints, but the biggest issue: Baby has gas- is it normal gas? Is it different with preemies? Will it last longer with preemies? I wanted more preemie specific advice, and this just didn't help.

Purchased after our baby decided they wanted out 9 weeks early. Since most 'traditional' baby books are for full term babies, I wanted something that would be helpful for our situation. The book has a lot of good information about NICU, preemie milestones and self care for NICU parents. It is written by Canadians which was also a reason why I chose the book. I found comforting because the authors treat the preemie situation as 'normal (for want of a better phrase) and provide knowledge to reassure parents. My baby has been in the NICU for 5 weeks & anticipating another 4 and the book will be a good preemie-specific reference for feeding & developmental milestones once they come home.

A really great book if you have had a premature baby. I think it is based on Canada/US, but a lot of crossover for the Uk. Wish had bought it earlier.

My baby arrived at 34 weeks. She did not have to go to the NICU. But there sure are struggles with babies who came early. This book gave me reassurance that I wasn’t alone with what I was going through. Also, there are several advice that I was able to use in taking care of my baby. 10/10 would recommend to preemie parents. ❤️

This book should be given to every single preemie parent before hospital discharge. It is a fabulous Canadian resource; the preparation for discharge section and feeding sections in particular are excellent. It continues to be a great resource for milestones and challenges all the way to the first birthday. It is easy to read and I love the sections on making a plan for each issue. I would highly recommend to any preemie parent.

Superb book. Having just had a baby at 28+3 I am really pleased I found this book. The first two chapters on being in NICU are so relevant to what we have been through, and the remainder of the book will be so useful now we have her home.