Preemie Parents
26 Ways To Grow with Your Pemature Baby
Based on the author’s own experience with premature twin babies born at twenty-five weeks, this inspirational guide helps struggling parents through perhaps one of the toughest times of their lives. Noting that there was too much information on the medical issues associated with premature infants and their time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and not enough on the later transformative aspects, Tami C. Gaines offers a different approach to the parenting books already available.
She begins with a short overview of her personal story, which includes a dangerous infection, preterm labor, and the early arrival of her twins, along with a separation from her husband because of her decision to keep her twins, as well as her determination to not give up on her premature babies. The bulk of the guide, arranged alphabetically, offers “26 ways to grow with your premature baby.” Borrowing heavily from the Law of Attraction and her own deep spiritualism, Gaines emphasizes “little ways” that will have “a big impact on your NICU journey,” from being an Advocate who trusts her instincts when something about her baby doesn’t feel right to Taking Care of “I” along with one’s children to Personalization and making the NICU experience feel as much like home as possible.
With twenty-five years as an executive and entrepreneur in the business world, Gaines not only authored Preemie Parents, but founded the Preemie Parents Foundation (preemieparentsfoundation.org) as an additional forum for parental support. She sets a compassionate tone, especially when reminding parents to live in the moment rather than focus on the “why” or “what ifs,” to maintain positive energy, to see each milestone as a gift, and to be respectful and thankful to the team helping their premature infants.
While the book’s information is invaluable, its packaging is also attractive with glossy pages, equally inspirational graphic artwork, and “Tami Time” sidebars, which give additional personal anecdotes. It concludes with a resources section with web sites for medical information, descriptions of nutritional supplements, and exercises to keep parents in shape, plus quick soul booster ideas. The NICU journey is never easy, but Gaines’ advice helps parents make each day more meaningful.
Reviewed by
Angela Leeper
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
