Tips for Buying & Making Preemie Clothes
How to Help Parents of Preemies
Anastasia's first year (2005)
Eating & Reflux (year 2, 2006)
Back to Sleep! (2007)
And Zane, Too (2008)
Allergies & Getting Big (2009)
Starting School (2010)
It's All Good (2011)
Search the Miracle Baby bebsite
Recommended Books about Preemies
When Anastasia was a baby and toddler, I think I read every layman's medical book about preemies, and almost every memoir about the preemie experience. Among those, here are the ones I recommend:
Preemies: The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies
This is the book every parent of a preemie should own and refer to. It's the most comprehensive and down to earth guide available...There's a reason The March of Dimes recommends it to parents! Now in it's second edition.
If too much medical information scares you, this book by well-known pediatrician Dr. William Sears will be comforting. Here you'll find a less technical approach to looking at preemies, with some great information on taking care of your preemie at home. This book is especially good if your preemie is coming home essentially healthy.
One of the very best things you can do for your preemie (and it's something parents are uniquely best at doing!) is "kangaroo care," or holding your premature baby on your bare chest. This book explains the benefits of kangaroo care, and how kangaroo care was developed.
If your preemie isn't your first child, My Baby Sister is a Preemie will go a long way toward making a stressful and scary situation less so for your other children. This picture book also has a special parental section in the back, written by a psychologist and offering suggestions for parents and caregivers of hurting children.
For more books for siblings of preemies, scroll to the bottom of the page.
Miracle Birth Stories of Very Premature Babies
If you want encouraging stories of how preemies have survived despite all that's working against them, this is a great choice.
Very similar to Miracle Birth Stories (above), but with different babies' stories.
More Books for Siblings of Preemies
I have not read the following books, but given that books for siblings of preemies are rare, I thought you should know about them.
"...a wonderful book that describes life in the
Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery, through the eyes of a young child...A
little boy describes how the hospital staff provided care for his
premature baby brother."
"Tells the story of a tiny, seriously ill premature baby and how, despite all her medical treatments, she fails to make progress - until her mother holds her."
"The story of Rosie and Tortoise is perfect for any new big brother or sister. Rosie can't wait for her baby brother to be born. But when he does arrive, Bobby is the smallest, weakest little hare ever, and Rosie feels scared. She doesn't want to have anything to do with him...until the day Dad tells her a special story that helps her understand that Bobby is 'slow and steady.' That night, she holds her bay brother for the first time and feels his heart beating against hers."
Other Preemie Books
Since Anastasia's early days, a number of other books about preemies have been published. I have not read them all, but I'm listing those here that have excellent reviews.