Tami C. Gaines - Preemie Parents: 26 Ways to Grow with Your Premature Baby

Published by Sellers Publishing, Inc.

Written by Tami C. Gaines
Illustrations by Roni Orlina
Cover and interior design by Heather Zschock
Back cover photo and back flap photo www.tonyturnerphotography.com

Sellers Publishing, Inc.
161 John Roberts Road, South Portland, Maine 04106
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eISBN: 978-1-4162-0680-4

Preemie Parents copyright 2011 by Full Frequency Transformation, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American copyright Conventions. By Payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form, by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without the express written permission of Sellers Publishing, Inc. e-books.

September 2011

The ideas and suggestions in this book are not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of your trained health professional. All matters regarding your health and your babys health require medical supervision. Where appropriate, consult your physician before adopting the suggestions in this book, as well as about any condition that may require diagnosis or medical attention. The author and publisher disclaim any liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of the book.

Tami Gainesguides you through a place where no one wants to be, and leads you to a destination of hope, calm, and comfort. Preemie Parents is a must-read for anyone dealing with the journey between life and death.

Stephanie Brady,Mother of premature twins

In my thirty-one years of neonatal nursing practice, I have never seen anyone stop grieving the loss of their perfect pregnancy and ideal birth as quickly as Tami did. Any family who has experienced a premature birth should read Preemie Parents for its insights and to move through the experience with strength and a sense of peace.

Gail Lormand,Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse

Thank you for using your authenticity and honesty to share your journey and to teach and inspire us.

Julie G.,Mother of a premature baby

Preemie Parents will make you laugh, cry, and ultimately [it will] leave you feeling uplifted and capable of conquering all of lifes obstacles. Tami Gaines captures your heart and lifts your spirits from page one with her beautifully depicted journey through the life-changing experiences of marriage, motherhood, divorce, death, and especially life. With an open mind, a loving heart, and a positive outlook, Tami proves that anything is possibleeven the seemingly impossibleThis is a wonderful read for parents of premature babies, as well as for any member of the human race!

Erin Marie Duffy,RN, MSN

I had a twenty-four-weeker, named Ali. I was given your book by the March of Dimes support person at Capital Health System, in Trenton, New Jersey. This was one of the most terrible experiences of my life and in your book I found much truth and inspiration in our shared experience.

Donna A.,Mother of a premature baby

The depth and perspective of Preemie Parents is powerful, in a situation that makes you feel so powerless. Thank you for your faith and determination.

Anonymous

L ife begins with the first cry in the delivery room, but for premature babies, the journey starts when they enter the NICU. Although we do not know the course or outcome for the individual baby, every neonatologist awaits the predictable diseases and complications, based statistically on gestational age. We are limited in what we can prevent, but comfortable with the tools available to treat these infants. Parents enter dazed, overwhelmed by guilt and unspeakable fears for the future of their child. Many struggle with their own identity and loss of control while trying to learn how to parent their fragile child. Each week brings the bombardment of another medical hurdle to overcome and the introduction of yet another medical consultant to incorporate into the fabric of this strange, long journey.

Each story is intensely personal yet the shared experience is universal. Ms. Gaines tells a vivid and candid story of her familys experience in the NICU, while transforming her insights into powerful tools to help other families become advocates for these vulnerable infants. She challenges us as parents to look inside ourselves to find the strength, focus, and spiritual health to keep our child the priority at all times. She elevates the physician-parent relationship to a level that creates a powerful partnership that has but one goal: the well-being of a child. Over a career of twenty-five years, I have struggled to find the words that will help families during this journey. Ms. Gaines in Preemie Parents has achieved this by creating an emotional and spiritual framework for not only survival, but personal empowerment and transformation.

Gaines M. Mimms, M.D.