A review by heylaurita
Early: An Intimate History of Premature Birth and What It Teaches Us About Being Human by Sarah DiGregorio

emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

This was a FANTASTIC deep-dive into all things NICU. Anecdotally, DiGregorio delivers an incredibly vivid and emotionally gripping retelling of her own experience in the NICU. From a medical standpoint, she provides a brief overview (and history!) of the major tools and devices used in NICUs today. She even delves into the history of the NICU and pulls the curtain back on how caring for the tiniest of humans came to be. As a former NICU nurse of almost 10 years, I appreciated it all. 

As a current APN that has gone on to care for these premies well beyond their NICU days, I was incredibly impressed with the second part of the book, which detailed the challenges of developmental follow-up care and the long-term challenges that accompany the more complex cases. I also really enjoyed the heavier discussions of ethics and maternal health care disparities that impact pre-, peri-, and postnatal care. To have omitted these more controversial sections would have wildly distorted the conversation surrounding preterm delivery and medical care today. 

Ultimately, the NICU is an incredibly specialized subset of a hospital - one which is often intimidating to others, given its inherently diminutive nature. The day to day experiences were conveyed so accurately and with such reverence, it took my breath away at times. This book was so well researched that I would recommend it anybody looking to enter the NICU world clinically, as well as to anybody who may be interested in hearing a differing (albeit challenging) point of view. Would advise caution for anybody who has experienced the NICU first-hand, as it may trigger some difficult moments.