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A Gift of Time: Continuing Your Pregnancy When Your Baby's Life Is Expected to Be Brief - Paperback | Diverse Reads

A Gift of Time: Continuing Your Pregnancy When Your Baby's Life Is Expected to Be Brief

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Now updated and expanded—a gentle and comprehensive guide for parents expecting a baby with a prenatal diagnosis of a life-limiting condition.

When prenatal testing reveals that a baby is expected to die before or shortly after birth, many parents choose to proceed with the pregnancy and embrace the time they are able to have with their baby, before birth as well as afterward. With compassion and support, A Gift of Time walks these parents step-by-step through this challenging and emotional experience—from receiving the diagnosis to coping with the pregnancy and making plans for the baby's birth and peaceful death.

The second edition of this gentle guide offers inspiration and reassurance through the voices of numerous parents who have walked this path with their beloved baby. Their moving experiences are stories not only of grief but of joy and peace. This edition:

• Expands the content substantially to incorporate new research and guidelines
• Features additional vignettes from more than 160 parents about their experiences and coping strategies
• Offers encouragement and more practical ideas for moving forward, including updated guidance for decision-making and ideas for embracing the time with the baby, from before birth to after death
• Describes the importance of perinatal hospice and palliative care, which has continued to grow worldwide since the first edition was published, and how to access this care

Drawing from parent experiences and published research, this new edition is full of practical suggestions for parents as well as health care professionals. Caring and thoughtful, A Gift of Time helps parents navigate this difficult news and the journey that follows.

ISBN-13: 9781421446707

Media Type: Paperback(second edition)

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

Publication Date: 09-05-2023

Pages: 448

Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.15(d)

Series: A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book

Amy Kuebelbeck (ST. PAUL, MN) is a journalist with experience at news organizations including the Associated Press and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She described her experience of continuing a pregnancy with a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis in her memoir Waiting with Gabriel: A Story of Cherishing a Baby’s Brief Life. She is the founder and editor of perinatalhospice.org and has presented and written extensively on the topic of perinatal hospice and palliative care. Deborah L. Davis, PhD (DENVER, CO), is a developmental psychologist, writer, and expert in neonatal medical ethics and perinatal bereavement. She is the author of Empty Cradle, Broken Heart and the coauthor of Parenting Your Premature Baby and Child. Her blog Laugh, Cry, Live explores a wide range of topics at PsychologyToday.com.

What People are Saying About This

Brian S. Carter

These knowledgeable authors speak eloquently for families, parents, prospective parents, and health care professionals across many disciplines who share in the experiences of life with, and without, a hoped-for 'perfect baby.' A thread of continuity runs across the gestational journeys of real parents grappling with bad and sad news, complex interwoven lives, and the hard work of seeking to bring joy into brief, yet eternal, moments together with their babies. The book will mean so much to those who have already endured these trials as well as those who are met daily with such news.

— Brian S. Carter, M.D., Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt

Simon Manning

My team frequently counsels families coping with the heartache of managing a fetus or child with severe malformations that result in a life-limiting condition. We offer Ms. Kuebelbeck’s book to them, as many have found it a comforting resource. Her personal story and compassionate insights can help some families face the practical and emotional challenges they find along their journey.

From the Publisher

A Gift of Time is an essential and magnificent resource to families and healthcare professionals alike. The parents' stories are powerful witnesses providing support, compassion, and practical advice to the reader. The book is an unparalleled companion to families as they walk along a difficult journey.
—Elvira Parravicini, MD, Director, Neonatal Comfort Care Program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. The New: Receiving Your Baby's Diagnosis
2. What Now? Making Decisions about Continuing Your Pregnancy
3. The Emotional Journey: Grieving and Adjusting to Your New Path
4. Waiting with Your Baby: Settling in for the Rest of your Pregnancy
5. Making Medical Decisions: Choosing Care for Your Baby
6. Getting Ready: Preparing for Your Baby's Birth, Life, and Death
7. Welcoming Baby: Birth Experiences and Meeting Your Baby
8. Saying Goodbye: Holding On and Letting Go
9. Continuing Your Journey: After Your Baby Dies
10. Reflections
Appendix: Sample Outline for a Perinatal Palliative Care Birth Plan
Notes
Index