Before Their Time: Lessons in Living from Those Born Too Soon

Rating:
Summary: A well written and affirming book.
Review: I loved this book. I often read and the gym on the exercise bike and my mind will wander. Not with this book! I was engrossed with the stories and tears came to my eyes often as these people of faith go through very challenging times. Although written to partially explain how the Christian faith of these parents and some of the staff helped them through their individual ordeals, it was not offensive. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the wonder of new life.

Rating:
Summary: Before Their Time is very true to life.
Review: I thought this book was wonderful. It helps people who have never experienced life in the NICU get a glimpse of it. I have quadruplets and all 4 of my babies went through the NICU at Chidren's Hospital in Minneapolis. Dr. Ronald Hoekstra took care of my babies and he is as wonderful as the stories in this book make him sound. It is very difficult and hard to explain what life is like in the NICU and this book does a marlvous job of conveying that. I have given this book to many friends and family members to help them understand what I went through.

Rating:
Summary: A well written and affirming book.
Review: My daughter spent 90 days in the NICU unit at our local children's hospital. It was the most difficult and most joyous time of our lives. Fortunately, our story had a happy ending and she came home without needing medication or reliance on medical equipment to eat or breathe.
I came across this book about two weeks into our NICU stay. It gave me hope in that it expressed many of the thoughts and feelings that our family was going through, and describing the unique intersection of parents, neonatologists and premature or critically ill newborns that make up the NICU. (It was also difficult to read with my child being hospitalized at the same time)
I really enjoyed a brief essay in the last chapter of the book about perseverence. Every parent of a child in NICU should read that last chapter. It was very affirming to me in light of how tiring (and rewarding)the experience of being present each day with your child in the hospital can become. The experience is emotionally draining, and a parent will experience hope and fear and discouragement, and many times will wonder where they will get the energy to interact with the medical staff, learn the medical terminology and interact with the different personalities of the nursing team, and be able to deal with the incredible emotions that are generated when they receive medical updates on their baby. Parents need a lot of affirmation.
I also recommend this book because the stories of the newborns are well written. You will laugh and cry and become attached to all the babies and their families. I bought a copy for the library at the childrens hospital where our daughter was treated. This book would be appropriate for parents of critically ill newborns or for those who love a good story. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Important book.
Review: There need to be more books like this one. An important topic like prematurity needs more attention.

Dail R. Cantrell was recently nominated for a Book of the Year award for Equal to the Task, one of the best books on the subject ever written. This book is a good companion.

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Summary: A Review from a Micropreemie Mother
Review: This book is an incredible look at the lives of babies born at the extreme edge of viability, their families, medical teams, and support networks. Our family has lived through most of the same things as the featured families since our daughter was born ten months ago - 17 weeks early at 23 weeks gestation, weighing only 18 ounces. I read this book in one day and found myself reliving the past year, through many sad, and joyful tears. The authors do a wonderful job of expressing, in ways I never could, the intense emotional journey involved in caring for an extremely premature child. Better yet, the lessons we can learn about life, love, and faith, through these six babies' stories are beautifully explained. The book is already helping repair my heart from the past year's trauma.

I highly recommend this book for any premature baby's parent, caregiver, or medical staff as a way to clarify your feelings. I also recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about faith, prayer, and compassion in the midst of crisis. I appreciate the authors' willingness to write the book, and the families' openness with their lives.