BORN EARLY: The Story of a Premature Baby

Adrienne Weber was born 3(apple) months early, weighing only 1 lb., 9 oz. In photographs, lengthy comments from her mother and father, and clear medical asides, we follow her progress from birth through the rocky first months in the neonatal intensive care unit at Boston's Children's Hospital Medical Center, her discharge to a regular nursery, and her arrival home. It's an ingratiating story that can also serve as a primer on what other affected parents might expect. Enormous progress has been made recently in caring for premature babies, and the authors incorporate this information into their account. They discuss the medical hazards of lung, digestive, heart, brain, sight, and hearing disorders that are ever-present, but can often be successfully treated; they address family concerns over bonding, breastfeeding, and making the child truly one's own. Finally, pictures and reports of Adrienne at 6 months provide unmistakable answers to those who question the cost and ordeal of rescuing preemies. Along with the comprehensive, meticulous coverage of Henig and Fletcher's Your Premature Baby (below): an ideal pairing.