After living through an emotionally turbulent journey of infertility and the birth of one son, Fabiana was thrilled to discover that she was pregnant again, this time with twins. She did not expect to encounter a tumultuous road until she was told that one of her twins had no chance of survival. Then, only weeks later, she gave birth prematurely. Her surviving twin spent months in a neonatal intensive care unit and later became a child with special needs. From Surviving to Thriving is about finding the joy; making the choice to see hope where others only see despair, pain, loss, and sorrow. The book teaches the reader valuable life lessons, including how to face any adverse event and find something to be thankful for. One can only feel inspired and connected with Fabiana as she recounts how she took her family on a journey from surviving to thriving.

After living through an emotionally turbulent journey of infertility and the birth of one son, Fabiana was thrilled to discover that she was pregnant again, this time with twins. She did not expect to encounter a tumultuous road until she was told that one of her twins had no chance of survival. Then, only weeks later, she gave birth prematurely. Her surviving twin spent months in a neonatal intensive care unit and later became a child with special needs. From Surviving to Thriving is about finding the joy; making the choice to see hope where others only see despair, pain, loss and sorrow. The book teaches the reader valuable life lessons, including how to face any adverse event and find something to be thankful for. One can only feel inspired and connected with Fabiana as she recounts how she took her family on a journey from surviving to thriving.

In this issue of Clinics in Perinatology, guest editors Drs. Heather C. Kaplan and Munish Gupta bring their considerable expertise to the topic of Quality Improvement. In recent years, the growing use of quality improvement (QI) methods to apply evidence-based practices to clinical care has resulted in a greater penetration of QI methods in neonatal intensive care units across the world and a more sophisticated appreciation of how best to use them. This issue provides important updates in these areas as well as looks at the future of QI in perinatology. - Contains 15 practice-oriented topics including frameworks for quality improvement: Lean Six Sigma and the model for improvement in perinatology; sustaining improvement in perinatology; recent progress in global health quality improvement in perinatology; measuring equity for quality improvement in perinatology; pursuing equity for all mothers and newborns through population health: the role of perinatal quality collaboratives; and more. - Provides in-depth clinical reviews on quality improvement in perinatology, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. - Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

Being a mother of multiples and preemies is a great adventure which is unknown to many. It involves a lot of attention, commitment, dedication, and time to take care of your health at the same time as raising your newborn babies. Be moved by the experiences of a mother who delivered her triplets prematurely in a foreign country, with the help of the NIDCAP method, in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It is not intended as an advice guide, but it does tell the story of several years of experience for her, her husband and their three babies. Are you afraid of finding out that you will have a multiple pregnancy? Do you know what it means to have babies born prematurely? Can you imagine what life will be like for you and your babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit? Do you have any idea how exhausted you will feel during the first year? Have you heard about the consequences of burnout and chronic fatigue? In this book you will also find answers to your questions about what a high-risk pregnancy and an emergency caesarean section can be like, as well as different concerns such as premature birth and neonatal care, psychological support networks and the monitoring of babies so that they can grow up in the best possible way. As parents, we are often faced with major changes in our lives, and a myriad of different and contradictory emotions and feelings manifest themselves due to the big event. Find out more: Necessary care for the mother during a high-risk pregnancy and in the postpartum. The optimal neonatal care needed for premature babies and the help of the NIDCAP method. Some complications and miracles that can occur in these fragile and sensitive babies. Tips on how to be an active mother in the NICU. The importance of follow-up in premature babies. Important topics such as chronic fatigue, burnout and sleep deprivation, as well as resilience and positive mental attitude. You will value your new conscious motherhood through direct contact with your baby.

“What if I never get to be a mother?” When this doubt first takes hold, it can knock you completely off your feet. You feel cheated, frustrated, and no longer sure of your place in society, your family, or your circle of friends. Now…imagine you could spend time with someone who really understands how you feel, who lets you express all the things that once seemed whiny, self-indulgent, or just plain crazy, and who confides that she once felt that way too. Life Without Baby founder, Lisa Manterfield, once stood where you are and not only survived, but thrived. Now she shares what she learned from her own experiences and from the women of the community she created. She’ll help you: – Know when it’s time to cut your losses and let go of your dream – Give yourself permission to grieve the loss that few others can truly understand – Learn some emotional aikido moves to handle social challenges, such as baby showers, Mother’s Day, and the dreaded “Do you have kids?” question – Rediscover your passion and find joy again, without enduring a complete life makeover – Get pragmatic about aging without children and building a new kind of family Based on her small-group workshops and popular ebook series, this book offers a combination of hard-won lessons, gentle queries, and real-world suggestions. Manterfield is a comforting and supportive companion who will guide you gently down your own path to making peace with being childfree-not-by-choice and thriving in a new happily ever after.

Lisa Manterfield was a sensible 32-year-old when she met The One—a man who sparked a passion for tango, an urge to break down closed doors, and a deep-rooted desire to reproduce. Five years later she was a baby addict, hiding her addiction, plotting a maternity ward heist, and threatening anything that got in her way, including her beloved husband and his pesky practicality. In this gritty, award-winning memoir, Manterfield traces her spiraling route from rational 21st-century woman to desperate mama-wannabe. She examines the siren song of motherhood, the insidious lure of the fertility industry, and the repercussions of being childless in a mom-centric society. But this isn’t just another infertility story with another miracle baby ending, nor is it a sad introspective of a childless woman; this is a story about love, desire, and choices—and ultimately about hope. It is the story of a woman who escapes her addiction, not with a baby, but with her sanity, her marriage, and her sense-of-self intact. 2012 Independent Publishers Book Awards winner.

This “essential read” (Gretchen Rubin) from the author of Savvy Auntie tells the funny, sexy, and sometimes heartbreaking stories of today's well-educated, successful women who expected love, marriage, and children, but instead find themselves in the “Otherhood” as their fertile years wane. More American women are childless than ever before—nearly half those of childbearing age don’t have children. While our society often assumes these women are “childfree by choice,” that’s not always true. In reality, many of them expected to marry and have children, but it simply hasn’t happened. Wrongly judged as picky or career-obsessed, they make up the “Otherhood,” a growing demographic that has gone without definition or visibility until now. In Otherhood, author Melanie Notkin reveals her own story as well as the honest, poignant, humorous, and occasionally heartbreaking stories of women in her generation—women who expected love, marriage, and parenthood, but instead found themselves facing a different reality. She addresses the reasons for this shift, the social and emotional impact it has on our collective culture, and how the “new normal” will affect our society in the decades to come. Notkin aims to reassure women that they are not alone and encourages them to find happiness and fulfillment no matter what the future holds. A groundbreaking exploration of an essential contemporary issue, Otherhood inspires thought-provoking conversation and gets at the heart of our cultural assumptions about single women and childlessness.

The birth of a very premature baby is a shock for parents. The immediate anxiety about whether their infant will survive quickly leads to concerns about their child's future quality of life. In this inspiring and informative book, young people who were born weighing less than two pounds, three ounces provide candid and personal stories about their lives, challenges and accomplishments. Now in their thirties, these men and women were cared for at McMaster University Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, soon after the introduction of newborn intensive care. Dr. Saroj Saigal, a renowned and award-winning neonatologist at McMaster, adds several chapters that outline the history of neonatology, describes recent medical and technological innovations, and explains how many extremely premature babies go on to enjoy fulfilling lives. Her chapters give the answer of a caring specialist to the inevitable question, "What next?" Written for a lay audience, Preemie Voices will move you to tears of admiration and amazement at the remarkable resilience of these tiny survivors. This unique collection of stories will not only provide encouragement and hope for parents who have given birth to a tiny preemie, but will inspire others who will be in awe at the achievements of these infants - both with and without disabilities - who were born too early. Watch the video documentary of a few participants from Preemie Voices at www.saigalpreemievoices.com...

Eight and a Half Years Sixteen Infertility Cycles Four Timed Intercourse Cycles Two IUI Cycles Two Egg Retrievals Seven Frozen Embryo Transfers Thousands of Dollars Two Miscarriages Three Pregnancies Live Births ...? That’s my infertility story. Almost a decade of trying, almost $65,000 spent on infertility treatments. So many IVF cycles that I can give myself progesterone shots in the rear. So many transvaginal pelvic ultrasounds that a pap smear no longer impresses me. Changed relationships, changed career goals. A whole list of things no one should ever say to someone going through infertility. And almost a baby. Almost. Because even though I am scheduled for a C-section next week, as I publish this book, I still do not have any guarantees. Infertility is a hell of a life crisis. But also, if you can learn how to navigate these choppy waters—if you can learn how to let go of what you can’t control, how to cope with the hard parts you never saw coming, how to play the world’s longest waiting game—you will build resilience and grit you didn’t think you were capable of. This is not a “how to have a baby” book. It’s not a “how to survive until you have a baby” book. It’s a “how to survive and maybe even thrive while trying to have a baby” book. That’s what I know: how to survive infertility and make the best of it while you’re praying for the miracle of a baby. And I know how to survive this because I’ve done it for nearly a decade. Some people just have sex to get pregnant. Not me. Maybe not you, either. We have infertility battles to fight, and this gets worse before it gets better. But I was made strong enough for this, and so were you. Let me show you how I know.

If God is good, why is there so much suffering in the world? If God is good, why did my babies die? Kristin Hernandez found herself asking these questions countless times as she walked through the bitter storm of grief and loss. After years of unexplained infertility, Kristin and her husband, Chris, were thrilled to be pregnant with their first child. Their elation turned to concern when a routine anatomy scan revealed their miracle child would be born with a terminal condition. In the wake of their newborn son's death, Kristin began to wrestle with God's goodness and the purpose of suffering. As she and her husband walked through the loss of four more babies, Kristin discovered the unshakeable truth we can cling to when physical storms linger and all seems hopeless. In Sunlight in December, Kristin shares the raw emotions that come with grief and invites readers to journey with her as she wrestles with God and discovers His goodness in unexpected places. This powerful memoir dives head first into difficult topics such as death, doubt, and seemingly unanswered prayer, all while leaving the reader with encouragement and hope.