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"The
strength of a premature infant portrays
the courage of a hero."
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The birth of a premature infant is a journey few are aware of unless they are
faced with the overwhelming experience. The joy of giving birth is often
coupled with fear, guilt, lonliness and anger. A helpless infant confronts
every part of your belief system and challenges every aspect of your life.
After eleven years as a NICU nurse, I thought I would be somewhat prepared for the premature birth of our daughter Mackenzie, born 3 1/2 months early, and weighing only 1 pound, 12 ounces; but I was immediately humbled. I quickly learned how little I understood about caring for a preemie. Although I had support
from families and friends and the medical knowledge from my career, I found little resources that I needed to care for my preemie after she was discharged from the NICU.
Now that my daughter has grown out of many of her complications of
prematurity, I have been able to work at helping other preemie parents. I
hope this website will bring knowledge and emotional support to both parents
of premature infants and the health professionals who care for them. I have
also co-authored the book, "Your Premature Baby and Child" (Berkley, 1999),
which is a comprehensive handbook for preemie parents that gives critical
information regarding the first five years of their preemie's life.
If you have any questions or comments, or if you would like to add an article or an "Imagine" to this website, please feel free to write me at
Maroneyd@aol.com
Dianne Maroney spent over 17 years working as a neonatal intensive care nurse.
She recently received her masters of Science in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
from the University of Colorado Health Science Center in Denver. Dianne is the
co-author of "Your Premature Baby and Child: Helpful Answers and Advice for Parents"
(Berkley, 1999). She is also the mother of a premature infant, born 3 1/2 months early.
As a national speaker and a member of many local and national organizations, she works
with medical professionals and parents advocating to further incorporate a parent
perspective and family needs into the care of the pre-term infant and child, both in the NICU and at home.
