Just a Moment Too Soon: What to Expect When You Have a Premature Baby

By Judi Venten

Just A Moment Too Soon is a handbook containing vital, succinct and comprehensive information to empower parents and families of both premature and sick full-term infants throughout their journey through the Intensive Care and Special Care Nurseries to home and beyond. Never before has such information been available in one convenient volume.

Written by an experienced Neonatal nurse, Just A Moment Too Soon is conveniently divided into five parts, including: babies born under 28 weeks, 28 -32 weeks, babies born over 32 weeks, and full-term infants admitted to NICU. The information is empowering and easy to access. You will learn about:

• navigating the initial grief and loss
• understanding the basic NICU equipment
• why babies can need help with breathing and conditions that impact on breathing
• what your baby needs: emotional care, feeding, the value of sleep, chronic sleep deprivation
• the psychological impact: exploring the accompanying feelings for mum, dad and baby
• how to enhance bonding within the NICU: the immeasurable value of skin-to-skin contact
• appropriate touch and handling
• understanding your baby's body language
• the importance of non-nutritive sucking
• how positioning maximises the development of normal posture
• common challenges faced by prems
• breastfeeding and bottle feeding your preterm baby
• taking your prem home and establishing a routine
• maximising development in the first few months after discharge
• what is normal development
• maternal health and wellbeing
• why full-term infants can require admission to NICU
• what contributes to delay and disability and how to enhance development
• what options do you have when a baby dies

Firstly a Paediatric nurse, then a Midwife, Judi Venten later became a qualified Neonatal Nurse and then also spent five years in community work doing Maternal and Child Health Nursing. She has been working in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Melbourne, Australia for almost 20 years where her passion for prems and educating and empowering their families has only increased.