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Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries And Triumphs In The Newborn ICU
This is a gripping medical narrative that brings readers into the complex world of newborn intensive care, where brilliant but imperfect doctors do all they can to coax life into their tiny, injured patients.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Adam Wolfberg
2 books1 followerDr. Adam Wolfberg is an obstetrician specializing in maternal-fetal medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, and is an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine. His clinical interests include prenatal diagnosis, fetal ultrasound, and preterm labor. Dr. Wolfberg's clinical research on fetal EKG analysis is funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Wolfberg's first book, Fragile Beginnings, will be published in February 2012. He has written on health-related topics for Slate.com, WSJ.com, Newsweek, the Boston Globe Magazine, and other publications. He blogs for the Huffington Post.
Wolfberg went to medical school at Johns Hopkins and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. He did his fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at Tufts. He lives in Boston with his wife, Kelly, and three daughters.
Wolfberg's first book, Fragile Beginnings, will be published in February 2012. He has written on health-related topics for Slate.com, WSJ.com, Newsweek, the Boston Globe Magazine, and other publications. He blogs for the Huffington Post.
Wolfberg went to medical school at Johns Hopkins and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. He did his fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at Tufts. He lives in Boston with his wife, Kelly, and three daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
June 19, 2017
What lifts this book which is about Larissa, the author's premature little girl, from liked it to much better is a thought-provoking conundrum: what matters most when considering treatment for a premature child that might leave it with deficits,physical and/or mental, although save its life? Is it how the child will feel about themselves, or how the parents will be able to relate to the child? Which will give the child a happier life? It is best expressed by the author himself:
"Whose quality of life is better? Who is happier? The child with normal cognitive function who has cerebral palsy that prevents most voluntary movement, or the child with normal motor function whose IQ is 60? Personally, I imagine that I would rather be born with an IQ of 60 and normal motor function into a supportive family; I would find it extraordinarily frustrating to be locked inside a body that I couldn’t control. But ask me which child would be more rewarding to parent, and I would take the child with cerebral palsy because of the opportunity for cognitive interaction.
My preference for a conversation over a game of catch creates a dilemma. Does it matter what parents want? When your mom has a stroke, you take care of her. When your wife develops breast cancer, you nurse her through surgery and radiation. When your child is diagnosed with leukemia, you don’t consider the impact on your family when planning treatment."
The book purports to be a general book about the NICU, but they all woven around the story of the Wolfberg's and their little girl Larissa, but they are interesting in themselves.
"Whose quality of life is better? Who is happier? The child with normal cognitive function who has cerebral palsy that prevents most voluntary movement, or the child with normal motor function whose IQ is 60? Personally, I imagine that I would rather be born with an IQ of 60 and normal motor function into a supportive family; I would find it extraordinarily frustrating to be locked inside a body that I couldn’t control. But ask me which child would be more rewarding to parent, and I would take the child with cerebral palsy because of the opportunity for cognitive interaction.
My preference for a conversation over a game of catch creates a dilemma. Does it matter what parents want? When your mom has a stroke, you take care of her. When your wife develops breast cancer, you nurse her through surgery and radiation. When your child is diagnosed with leukemia, you don’t consider the impact on your family when planning treatment."
The book purports to be a general book about the NICU, but they all woven around the story of the Wolfberg's and their little girl Larissa, but they are interesting in themselves.
January 23, 2013
adam wolfberg was an OB resident when his wife went into premature labor & gave birth to their third daughter at only 26 weeks gestation. so he occupied the confusing space of being the devastated father of a micro-preemie facing any number of health complications (including a stage four brain bleed, which usually leads to catastrophic brain damage), & a doctor who had some idea what he was actually looking at. you'd think this would make for a uniquely compelling story, but unfortunately, wolfberg is more a researcher than a storyteller. i kept waiting for a narrative throughline to emerge, but none ever did. there's all this build up with the information about the brain bleed, the traditional research on the subject, breakthroughs in experiments with neuroplasticity, etc, & in the next chapter, wolfberg's daughter is suddenly seven years old & receiving special therapy to improve her coordination. okay? so i guess she was more or less all right, against all odds? it was never really explained & it was kind of confusing.
i mean, maybe i'm an asshole for wanting the drama of the story to pay off? after all, this is a real person with a real child, not just a story i am reading for my own amusement. but plenty of other people have managed to write about personal, traumatic subject with some kind of narrative grace. don't get me wrong, i am also all for reading science-y research stuff. but atul gawande wolfberg is not.
this book was okay & everything. i enjoyed reading it, it held my attention, & i learned a lot about breakthroughs in neuroscience. just wish he would have found an editor to help him shape & pace the story a little better.
i mean, maybe i'm an asshole for wanting the drama of the story to pay off? after all, this is a real person with a real child, not just a story i am reading for my own amusement. but plenty of other people have managed to write about personal, traumatic subject with some kind of narrative grace. don't get me wrong, i am also all for reading science-y research stuff. but atul gawande wolfberg is not.
this book was okay & everything. i enjoyed reading it, it held my attention, & i learned a lot about breakthroughs in neuroscience. just wish he would have found an editor to help him shape & pace the story a little better.
March 11, 2012
Adam Wolfberg was an OB-GYN intern at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital when his wife, Kelly, was pregnant with their third child, a girl who would be named Larissa. Her previous two pregnancies were uneventful, and all indicators pointed to another straightforward one. However, Kelly suddenly developed contractions when Larissa reached 26 weeks of gestation, 14 weeks before her due date. Despite the Wolfbergs' proximity to one of the leading obstetric and neonatal centers in the world, Kelly's labor could not be reversed, and Larissa was born after a very traumatic and stressful delivery. She was stabilized in the delivery room, placed on a mechanical ventilator due to her inability to breathe on her own, and whisked away to the NICU (or neonatal ICU; a neonate is a baby 0-28 days of age) at Brigham and Women's. Her birth weight was 1 lb 15 oz, making her tiny enough to fit into the palm of her father's hand.
From his training, Adam knew that a baby as premature as Larissa faced serious complications, including cerebral palsy; epilepsy; severe developmental delay that could prevent her from being able to walk, talk, eat by mouth or function independently; and death. One of his greatest fears was realized within days of Larissa's birth, when she developed a severe intracranial hemorrhage, or brain bleed, within the first week of life, due to the trauma of her labor. This injury is always associated with some degree of impairment; however, the extent of the damage is often not known for a year or more, once the baby begins to sit, crawl, walk and perform routine activities of daily living. Thus, the neonatologists and neurologists caring for Larissa could not give the Wolfbergs a definite answer on her future prognosis, leaving them with the difficult decision to withdraw care, or to continue to do everything possible for her.
In Fragile Beginnings, Dr. Wolfberg discusses his daughter's early years and how her premature birth has affected her and his family, while discussing the history, politics and ethics of the care of severely (less than 32 weeks of gestation) and extremely (less than 28 weeks) premature infants born in the United States. Normal gestational age is 37-42 weeks, dating from the first day of the last menstrual period. These babies normally don't have any complications during or after birth. Babies born at 32-36 weeks of gestation generally do well, although a small percentage have minor complications, particularly infant respiratory distress syndrome or chronic lung disease, due to the immaturity of the lungs and the relative lack of surfactant, a substance that keeps the alveoli (air sacs) in the deepest parts of the lungs from collapsing. Many of you will remember that John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy's last child, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, born 5½ weeks premature (or 34½ weeks of gestation), died on his second day of life in 1963 due to hyaline membrane disease, the old name for respiratory distress syndrome, due to a lack of surfactant in his lungs. In 2012, the mother of a baby born at this age would receive a corticosteroid injection to increase the production of surfactant in her baby's lungs, and he would likely survive his premature birth with few if any complications. The author discusses the discovery of surfactant, along with the major developments that have allowed thousands of babies similar to and much worse off than Patrick survive and have meaningful and healthy lives.
Needless to say, the more premature a neonate is at the time of birth, the greater is the chance of significant morbidity or mortality. However, as mentioned above, it is impossible to determine which extremely premature infants will do relatively well, and which will suffer severe complications. Doctors generally consider 22-23 weeks of gestational age or those who weigh 400 grams to be the limits of viability, and those who are less than this age or weight are normally delivered and handed to the mother by the pediatrician to die naturally in her arms. The obstetrician, pediatrician and parents can find themselves in an extremely difficult position in the case of infants who are at these limits, as they must decide which infant should live and which should be allowed to die. In most cases the doctors follow the wishes of the parents, once they are provided with information about the medical possibilities and probabilities for their child. However, there are times in which the parents and medical staff do not agree with each other; some families wish to do everything possible for a babies that the doctors believe are nonviable, and other families wish to withdraw or withhold care for babies that the doctors expect will have a relatively good outcome. Dr. Wolfberg discusses several famous cases and subsequent government laws passed in the 1980s and 1990s that have affected how obstetricians and neonatologists manage the extremely premature infant on the edge of viability.
Finally but most significantly, Dr. Wolfberg discusses new developments in the field of neuroplasticity, in which the central nervous system makes new connections in order to overcome injury. The highly educated and motivated—and financially stable—Wolfbergs were able to travel to get the best and most advanced therapies for Larissa, and work with her for several hours every day to maximize her physical and intellectual development.
Fragile Beginnings is a superb book about severely and extremely premature infants, their care, and the challenges they, their families, and their caregivers face. The author's own experience as a father of an extremely premature infant and as an obstetrician who provides care to mothers of high risk pregnancies greatly enhances and humanizes this important topic. Although designed for the lay reader, there is a good amount of medicine and neuroanatomy that may challenge the average reader without a strong science background at certain points in the book. However, I would still highly recommend this book to all readers, as the story of Larissa and her family is both riveting and highly inspirational.
From his training, Adam knew that a baby as premature as Larissa faced serious complications, including cerebral palsy; epilepsy; severe developmental delay that could prevent her from being able to walk, talk, eat by mouth or function independently; and death. One of his greatest fears was realized within days of Larissa's birth, when she developed a severe intracranial hemorrhage, or brain bleed, within the first week of life, due to the trauma of her labor. This injury is always associated with some degree of impairment; however, the extent of the damage is often not known for a year or more, once the baby begins to sit, crawl, walk and perform routine activities of daily living. Thus, the neonatologists and neurologists caring for Larissa could not give the Wolfbergs a definite answer on her future prognosis, leaving them with the difficult decision to withdraw care, or to continue to do everything possible for her.
In Fragile Beginnings, Dr. Wolfberg discusses his daughter's early years and how her premature birth has affected her and his family, while discussing the history, politics and ethics of the care of severely (less than 32 weeks of gestation) and extremely (less than 28 weeks) premature infants born in the United States. Normal gestational age is 37-42 weeks, dating from the first day of the last menstrual period. These babies normally don't have any complications during or after birth. Babies born at 32-36 weeks of gestation generally do well, although a small percentage have minor complications, particularly infant respiratory distress syndrome or chronic lung disease, due to the immaturity of the lungs and the relative lack of surfactant, a substance that keeps the alveoli (air sacs) in the deepest parts of the lungs from collapsing. Many of you will remember that John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy's last child, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, born 5½ weeks premature (or 34½ weeks of gestation), died on his second day of life in 1963 due to hyaline membrane disease, the old name for respiratory distress syndrome, due to a lack of surfactant in his lungs. In 2012, the mother of a baby born at this age would receive a corticosteroid injection to increase the production of surfactant in her baby's lungs, and he would likely survive his premature birth with few if any complications. The author discusses the discovery of surfactant, along with the major developments that have allowed thousands of babies similar to and much worse off than Patrick survive and have meaningful and healthy lives.
Needless to say, the more premature a neonate is at the time of birth, the greater is the chance of significant morbidity or mortality. However, as mentioned above, it is impossible to determine which extremely premature infants will do relatively well, and which will suffer severe complications. Doctors generally consider 22-23 weeks of gestational age or those who weigh 400 grams to be the limits of viability, and those who are less than this age or weight are normally delivered and handed to the mother by the pediatrician to die naturally in her arms. The obstetrician, pediatrician and parents can find themselves in an extremely difficult position in the case of infants who are at these limits, as they must decide which infant should live and which should be allowed to die. In most cases the doctors follow the wishes of the parents, once they are provided with information about the medical possibilities and probabilities for their child. However, there are times in which the parents and medical staff do not agree with each other; some families wish to do everything possible for a babies that the doctors believe are nonviable, and other families wish to withdraw or withhold care for babies that the doctors expect will have a relatively good outcome. Dr. Wolfberg discusses several famous cases and subsequent government laws passed in the 1980s and 1990s that have affected how obstetricians and neonatologists manage the extremely premature infant on the edge of viability.
Finally but most significantly, Dr. Wolfberg discusses new developments in the field of neuroplasticity, in which the central nervous system makes new connections in order to overcome injury. The highly educated and motivated—and financially stable—Wolfbergs were able to travel to get the best and most advanced therapies for Larissa, and work with her for several hours every day to maximize her physical and intellectual development.
Fragile Beginnings is a superb book about severely and extremely premature infants, their care, and the challenges they, their families, and their caregivers face. The author's own experience as a father of an extremely premature infant and as an obstetrician who provides care to mothers of high risk pregnancies greatly enhances and humanizes this important topic. Although designed for the lay reader, there is a good amount of medicine and neuroanatomy that may challenge the average reader without a strong science background at certain points in the book. However, I would still highly recommend this book to all readers, as the story of Larissa and her family is both riveting and highly inspirational.
January 12, 2015
I recently read Adam Wolfberg's Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries and Triumphs in the Newborn ICU (2012) and I found it to be, not a bad book, but an odd book. Wolfberg is a doctor and a medical researcher, but in the book he uses the experience of his own daughter, who was born premature, as a framing device. Reading the book, I got the sense that either Wolfberg and his editor has very different ideas about the book, and/or that Wolfberg was uncomfortable sharing his families' experience. I suspect that the author wanted to write a more scholarly book, and the editor wanted a book that would appeal to the broad audience of people who might be interested in the personal story of a preemie's survival. The result of this tension is a series of interesting juxtapositions, a somewhat cold vignette about the author's daughter, following the story of a woman choosing to get an abortion at 23w 4ds, or a graphic descriptions of medical experiments on animals. This back and forth gives the book a jumpy feeling. Overall, this book was interesting and I don't regret reading it; however, if you know a family who has recently had a preemie and are wondering if this book is an appropriate gift, it is not! Do not buy this book for anyone who has had a preemie!
May 27, 2023
The fact I actually comprehended 98% of the medical situations in this book should be a tenant to my nursing education lol but in general this was really beautifully written and well done! I love how personal yet scientific and informative his family’s story is. He does a great job explaining his experiences and sharing his feelings during each event. My one issue is that he provides direct quotes from conversations he was not participating in or observing which I found very weird… but if you’re interested in pediatric or newborn healthcare you’d definitely like this!
December 16, 2019
I sure did not get what I expected here, but it was an exchange, rather than a bait-n-switch. It seemed I was headed for a memoir about high risk pregnancy and time in the NICU, with unique rink-side seats because the father was also a doctor. Memoirs (good memoirs) tend to read very fast, so I thought this 165 page memoir on a high interest topic would be great for my book challenge. Oh ho! Most of it is hard science, much of it neuroscience, and those 165 pages took me a whole week! But I do not befgrudge Dr. Wolfberg that week, or his likely tanking of my book challenge, because it was fascinating. I found so many things to talk about with Fred and Spencer, I don't know if we'll ever get to them all. I missed a better memoir, but this was an unexpected gem, and really fueled my brain. Now this guy is not a writer, despite being a journalist before he became an MD, and it is straightforward and unemotional. But the medical information was given in a clear and interesting way, and I very much enjoyed the book. There were some ugly strains of condescending superiority that made me feel uncomfortable, and several pieces of narrative that I wasn't sure why he chose to include. The pieces did not tie well together, and he moved very unevenly in chronology, and somewhat unevenly in content. I never even knew if his daughter suffered any cognitive impairment, which he agonized over quite a bit in the early part of the book (this may have been to shield her, for loyalty reasons, in which case I'd give him a pass). But overall, really liked.
February 15, 2013
The writing is a bit clunky, for all that the author was a journalist before he went to med school, and the personal aspect of his story is slightly incoherent in places. I’m not sure whether that’s the result of inadequate emotional processing or inadequate editing. On the other hand, he gives a nice history of neonatology – (so young! I didn’t realize the first surfactants weren’t approved for use until 1991. 1991!). Because his daughter (she was a 26-weeker) had a grade 4 IVH, he does a fair bit of explanation of the neuroscience of that and delves into neuroplasticity as well, which Barbara might like.
I personally had a very difficult time relating to the difficulty he had coping with the idea of a severely disabled child; he seemed convinced that they should discontinue treatment when it was clear that she could live and the extent of her disability was entirely unknown. This was not something I could relate to in my own experience, and it made me like him less. On the other hand, he does give a nice summary of the research that shows that severely disabled children and their parents value their own lives. (He seemed to need data to come to understand this. I’m a big data wonk, and even I didn’t need data to understand that, which, again, made me like him less). This might be something that’s important for future health care professionals to know. He seemed, to me, overly concerned about his daughter’s disability (basically, difficulty with right-side movement), and insufficiently grateful that she had lived through something she might not have. But again, I may be overly harsh about this for personal reasons.
He gives a nice mention of the Vermont Oxford Network and the improvements their collaborative approach to evidence-based medicine and data sharing has wrought in terms of improved morbidity and mortality rates.
I personally had a very difficult time relating to the difficulty he had coping with the idea of a severely disabled child; he seemed convinced that they should discontinue treatment when it was clear that she could live and the extent of her disability was entirely unknown. This was not something I could relate to in my own experience, and it made me like him less. On the other hand, he does give a nice summary of the research that shows that severely disabled children and their parents value their own lives. (He seemed to need data to come to understand this. I’m a big data wonk, and even I didn’t need data to understand that, which, again, made me like him less). This might be something that’s important for future health care professionals to know. He seemed, to me, overly concerned about his daughter’s disability (basically, difficulty with right-side movement), and insufficiently grateful that she had lived through something she might not have. But again, I may be overly harsh about this for personal reasons.
He gives a nice mention of the Vermont Oxford Network and the improvements their collaborative approach to evidence-based medicine and data sharing has wrought in terms of improved morbidity and mortality rates.
June 2, 2012
I'm loving this. A really good medical story is just about my favorite thing in the whole world. I temporarily set aside Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) because I could not wait to read this. Medicine trumps fantasy! Truth is stranger than fiction - that's my motto.
The author is a doctor whose own daughter was born at 26 weeks. This fascinating story covers the physical, intellectual and emotional issues that surround the treatment and care of such extremely premature babies. I learned so much from this book. Neonatal care has improved dramatically since the mid 1980's, which is startling to me, because that is after I left x-ray.
I vividly recall many a morning taking the portable x-ray machine up to the NICU, and donning gown and gloves before personally handling dozens of the tiniest preemies for their chest and abdominal films. When checking for a pneumothorax we couldn't stand or sit them up so we often had to prop them up on their sides and took what was called a lateral decubitis shot. (I looked that up - I could not remember what it was called after 30 years -LOL)
Dr. Wolfberg goes a tiny bit over the lay person's head when describing the neurological development of the brain, and again with descriptions of some of the research going on, but considering the complexity of these issues, he does a pretty good job. 95% of the book is easily followed and extremely compelling to read.
The author is a doctor whose own daughter was born at 26 weeks. This fascinating story covers the physical, intellectual and emotional issues that surround the treatment and care of such extremely premature babies. I learned so much from this book. Neonatal care has improved dramatically since the mid 1980's, which is startling to me, because that is after I left x-ray.
I vividly recall many a morning taking the portable x-ray machine up to the NICU, and donning gown and gloves before personally handling dozens of the tiniest preemies for their chest and abdominal films. When checking for a pneumothorax we couldn't stand or sit them up so we often had to prop them up on their sides and took what was called a lateral decubitis shot. (I looked that up - I could not remember what it was called after 30 years -LOL)
Dr. Wolfberg goes a tiny bit over the lay person's head when describing the neurological development of the brain, and again with descriptions of some of the research going on, but considering the complexity of these issues, he does a pretty good job. 95% of the book is easily followed and extremely compelling to read.
October 7, 2013
When I started this book I was fascinated to the extreme. The treatment of premie babies, the challenges and decisions and precision of needle-sharp skills required to keep them alive and growing outside the safe womb--it was impossible to put down. The historical passages were illuminating; the descriptions of the medical procedures fascinating; the progress of development of a baby's independent life systems, from lungs to temperature regulation to the all critical phases of brain development and specialization...wow. I was ready to buy a copy and loan to my friends.
But at three-quarters through, the story skipped. The story of the one infant, not just "infants" in the abstract but the author's own little girl--the story that ribboned through the textbook and made all the plain facts come alive--it broke up into sound bites. I mean...he talked about holding her and finally, after so long, feeding her that first bottle, but it didn't mean anything to me. Was it just me?
It was me, a little. I wanted more details at a time when they didn't have more details to give me. The baby Larissa's growth after she went home from the hospital wasn't so meticulously measured and weighed against advances in medicine. The section on breast milk, for example, wasn't woven into the story but sort of tacked on near the end.
So to sum up, good book--very good. Left me wanting more.
But at three-quarters through, the story skipped. The story of the one infant, not just "infants" in the abstract but the author's own little girl--the story that ribboned through the textbook and made all the plain facts come alive--it broke up into sound bites. I mean...he talked about holding her and finally, after so long, feeding her that first bottle, but it didn't mean anything to me. Was it just me?
It was me, a little. I wanted more details at a time when they didn't have more details to give me. The baby Larissa's growth after she went home from the hospital wasn't so meticulously measured and weighed against advances in medicine. The section on breast milk, for example, wasn't woven into the story but sort of tacked on near the end.
So to sum up, good book--very good. Left me wanting more.
March 14, 2012
The story of Dr. and Mrs. Wolfberg's harrowing experience with the birth of their premature daughter is one that will tug at anyone's heartstrings, parent or not. The difficulty of the situation must have been nearly overwhelming at times yet Dr. Wolfberg has turned that experience into the opportunity to furnish us with not only his personal story but a well-researched examination into the state of NICU care today and its future going forward.
What struck me most about this book was the situation the author found himself in when thrust to the other side of the exam room curtain. Usually privy to all conversations regarding a patient care situation Dr. Wolfberg finds himself cast in the role of worried parent while others decide his daughter's fate. His ability to blend both experiences and produce this lucid, moving book like this speaks volumes about his dedication to his profession and his strength of character.
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an emotionally taut medical story that will keep you on the edge of your seat or a meticulously researched insight into the current state of NICU operations and ethics.
What struck me most about this book was the situation the author found himself in when thrust to the other side of the exam room curtain. Usually privy to all conversations regarding a patient care situation Dr. Wolfberg finds himself cast in the role of worried parent while others decide his daughter's fate. His ability to blend both experiences and produce this lucid, moving book like this speaks volumes about his dedication to his profession and his strength of character.
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an emotionally taut medical story that will keep you on the edge of your seat or a meticulously researched insight into the current state of NICU operations and ethics.
October 9, 2013
This book isn't what I hoped it would be. Wolfberg focuses more on the medical aspects of the story, including the development of the Brigham and Women's NICU and the research being done on CP, than he does on what it is like as a father of a baby in the NICU. Should I have expected this from the title? Yes, and I did know that it wasn't all his story, but I did hope he would tie his own experiences into the book more seamlessly. This book has a great deal of physiology and medical terminology (at some points I felt like I was back in my anatomy/physiology class, learning about the neuron), so I think it might be easy for someone unfamiliar with either of these to get frustrated with the book. There were also a few places where Wolfberg quotes a conversation (between two doctors, for example), that he was not only not apart of, but that he was not present to hear, which annoyed me to no end.
July 5, 2017
An interesting subject, of babies born before their due date (preemies as they are called) and their life thereof.
Though the content is engaging, it was the case of 'right book at the wrong time'. 3 stars, only because it couldn't hold my attention.
Will probably re-read again.
Though the content is engaging, it was the case of 'right book at the wrong time'. 3 stars, only because it couldn't hold my attention.
Will probably re-read again.
Read
June 5, 2025I really enjoyed this read. It fit my exact interests of 50% human interest and 50% the realities of extremely preterm infants in the NICU. As a postpartum nurse at a high-risk hospital, we have plenty of patients who deliver as early as 22 weeks and I am always so so curious to learn more about the risks of preterm delivery and the course that some of these babies follow once born. I would recommend this book to every single one of my coworkers.
September 6, 2019
Read during my downtime in the NICU with Willow. I appreciated the science-heavy factual aspects that covered the general realities of NICU and was moved as it was interwoven with the more anecdotal stories of the author's daughter Larissa and what she experienced and went through as a premature baby and NICU graduate.
May 13, 2024
Lots of super interesting research in this book and also a great depiction of the lifelong struggle of premies.
August 29, 2023
Another good piece from the perspective of a NICU parent, but with the additional view that the author - dad, is an OB/GYN intern, so he knows what his daughter is up against.
This piece has additional references and journals supporting evidence of the plans and care interventions the author discusses his daughter having, which is nice to compare from the years of this families experience - early 2000s, to how we do things today.
This piece has additional references and journals supporting evidence of the plans and care interventions the author discusses his daughter having, which is nice to compare from the years of this families experience - early 2000s, to how we do things today.
June 1, 2015
I would recommend the book "Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries And Triumphs In The Newborn ICU" by Adam Wolfberg, particularly to physicians who care for children with neurologic disabilities. Wolfberg is an OB whose wife gave birth to a 26 week preemie at BWH during his intern year, and he writes about his experiences in the NICU and subsequently with his daughter's therapies and development. He includes some background on the history of NICU care and neuroplasticity research, and I think it gives a good (if relatively intellectually and financially-privileged) view of the experience of parents of preemies. And he writes this:
"Later that day, we entered the NICU to find Larissa completely surrounded by men and women in long white coats. The neurologists had arrived. Their attire was formal and their manner was somber. They were in the process of examining Larissa."
Since child neurologists don't typically get much notice in medical books, it was nice to at least have a mention.
"Later that day, we entered the NICU to find Larissa completely surrounded by men and women in long white coats. The neurologists had arrived. Their attire was formal and their manner was somber. They were in the process of examining Larissa."
Since child neurologists don't typically get much notice in medical books, it was nice to at least have a mention.
May 16, 2012
Library book, actual pages.
This book is amazing - a perfect combination of research, journalism and personal experience. Having been through the NICU circus (twice) there was much that was familiar in his descriptions of NICU culture. There were unexpected moments when a sob would escape me before I even realized I was crying. The theme of parental rights and who does this baby actually belong to, me or the hospital, were very familiar. There was so much history of neonatal care that was new to me and fascinating. The descriptions of current research into brain injury provided the right measure of hope after the "look how far we've come" aspect of the history parts.
A seriously good book!
This book is amazing - a perfect combination of research, journalism and personal experience. Having been through the NICU circus (twice) there was much that was familiar in his descriptions of NICU culture. There were unexpected moments when a sob would escape me before I even realized I was crying. The theme of parental rights and who does this baby actually belong to, me or the hospital, were very familiar. There was so much history of neonatal care that was new to me and fascinating. The descriptions of current research into brain injury provided the right measure of hope after the "look how far we've come" aspect of the history parts.
A seriously good book!
June 2, 2012
Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries and Triumphs in the Newborn ICU is not an easy read.
Told from the perspective of Dr. Adam Wolfberg, both a perinatologist and preemie dad, the pages are filled with emotional triggers to send me back to my own NICU experience. His daughter, Larissa, was born at 26 weeks when her mother suddenly went into labor. She then suffered a Grade IV brain bleed. (Larissa, not her mom.)
http://www.streamdoubletrouble.com/20...
Told from the perspective of Dr. Adam Wolfberg, both a perinatologist and preemie dad, the pages are filled with emotional triggers to send me back to my own NICU experience. His daughter, Larissa, was born at 26 weeks when her mother suddenly went into labor. She then suffered a Grade IV brain bleed. (Larissa, not her mom.)
http://www.streamdoubletrouble.com/20...
June 4, 2012
This was a thought-provoking, well-balanced book about medical advances. The author provides the perfect mix of narrative along with scientific tidbits to keep the book flowing. He describes ethical issues without hyperbole. As modern science advances and keeps people alive longer, our society needs more authors like Dr. Wolfberg who can look at all sides of an issue and are not afraid to tackle tough issues.
June 27, 2012
This is a personal story about how the author (a physician) and his wife (a psychologists?) undergo the heart rending experience of giving birth to a premature baby. It tells of their time in the nicu and of their dughters trials to achieve the benchmarks in childhood like riding a bike. Sometimes the nicu experience ends in a tragedy. The nurses are the key. Exactly how I like my science books--facts and anecdotes interwoven around a personal story.
March 15, 2014
Even though this book is full of a bunch of facts that would be hard for a freshman like me to understand, I really enjoyed this book. The NICU has always fascinated me. Also, my dream is to be a neurologist, so the parts where it described her brain injury were fascinating as well. The story also inspired me to continue wanting to work with the brain, and also to consider working in an NICU in that field.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2012
This was a well-written book with insights from the author's own life (he is a pediatric fellow whose youngest daughter was born at 26 weeks and spent significant time in the nicu) as well as readable explanations of concepts in neurology such as neuroplasticity and constraint-induced movement therapy. I would not recommend this book if you are currently pregnant as it's pretty intense reading.
June 18, 2012
It was ok, a bit dry. I thought there would be more description of the day-to-day NICU life. Some of the medical terminology was way over my head even though I am usually pretty interested in medical stories.
August 8, 2012
I was absorbed in the first 2 chapters, then it went downhill as the author reverted from his experience as a father back to his medical background, causing the book to read like a clinical study. Not the book I expected.
October 8, 2013
Wonderfully and personally written, yet scientific at the same time. Even though I read this for work; I found myself enjoying each page of heart-warming triumphs this family went through with their 26-weeker!
December 17, 2013
This book... Oh gosh just thinking about it makes me tear up.
I can't explain that this book is so life changing you just must read it.
Love love love love love love love love love love love love love
I can't explain that this book is so life changing you just must read it.
Love love love love love love love love love love love love love
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March 27, 2012It had a lot of interesting scientific discussion, but it started very personal, then jumped around as to what was happening w/ his preemie daughter....
July 30, 2012
Fascinating story with lots of information about preemie medicine.
June 3, 2012
I know it is about the author's experience with the NICU - but I wish he had been able to follow up with other babies born at that time a little more thoroughly....
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