Book Review: For the Love of Babies
About.com Rating
Updated June 08, 2015.
The Bottom Line
It was a pleasure to read Dr. Sue Hall's fascinating book, "For the Love of Babies: One Doctor's Stories About Life in the Neonatal ICU." Drawing from her experiences as a neonatogist, Dr. Hall has selected 16 stories that describe life inside the NICU.
Publisher's Site
Pros
- Fascinating stories show outsiders what life inside the NICU is really like.
- Helps families of preemies to feel like they're not alone.
- Should be required reading for aspiring NICU nurses and neonatologists.
Cons
- Some stories may be too intense for parents with babies still inside the NICU.
Description
- Contains 16 stories about NICU patients of all different gestational ages and with many different diagnoses.
- Stories told by a neonatologist with 25 years experience.
- Contains notes to explain unfamiliar or complex medical conditions.
Guide Review - Book Review: For the Love of Babies
If you've ever wondered what life is like inside of a neonatal intensive care unit, then this book is for you. Written by a neonatologist with 25 years of experience, For the Love of Babies: One Doctor's Stories About Life in the Neonatal ICU gives an insider's view of the joys and sorrows found within the NICU's walls.
Dr. Sue Hall is the author of For the Love of Babies, and her voice is what makes the book so special. Compassionate and extremely knowledgeable, Dr. Hall lets readers hear the inner workings of her mind as she struggles with life and death decisions on the smallest of patients.
Together with this esteemed guide, readers work through complex ethical decisions, mourn tragic losses, and revel in successes against seemingly overwhelming odds. The stories that Dr. Hall tells are widely varied, and include stories of babies with:
- Extreme prematurity, as early as 24 weeks
- A lethal genetic anomaly
- A methadone addiction
- Severe jaundice
- Prematurity requiring delivery room resuscitation
For the Love of Babies is a great book for aspiring NICU nurses and neonatologists, as well as for families of NICU babies. Parents of NICU babies, whether they were born premature or needed NICU care for other reasons, will have much to relate to in Dr. Hall's stories of babies who are still inside the NICU and those she sees at follow up clinics. Doctors and nurses interested in a career inside the NICU will receive an overview of the types of patients they may be called on to care for and the types of decisions they will need to make.
Although this book is not intended to be a medical guide to NICU care, Dr. Hall ends each story with a "notes" section that gives background information to the conditions faced by the baby in the story. These notes are thorough and complete, and will help people who have no medical background to fully understand each patient's care.
Had I been reviewing For the Love of Babies for a website geared toward NICU professionals, I would have definitely given it 5 stars. The only reason why I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars is because this website is for families of preemies, many of whom are still in the NICU. Although excellent and well written, some of the stories may be too intense for families of babies who are still in the NICU. Not all of the stories have happy endings, and the sad stories may be discouraging.
Publisher's Site
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
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