A Gift of Time

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

Caring and thoughtful, the book helps parents embrace the extraordinary time they will have with their child.A Gift of Time is a gentle and practical guide for parents who decide to continue their pregnancy knowing that their baby's life will be brief. When prenatal testing reveals that an unborn child is expected to die before or shortly after birth, some parents will choose to proceed with the pregnancy and to welcome their child into the world. With compassion and support, A Gift of Time walks them step-by-step through this challenging and emotional experience-from the infant's life-limiting prenatal diagnosis and the decision to have the baby to coping with the pregnancy and making plans for the baby's birth and death. A Gift of Time also offers inspiration and reassurance through the memories of numerous parents who have loved a child who did not survive. Their moving experiences are stories of grief-and of hope. Their anguish over the prenatal diagnosis turns to joy and love during the birth of their child and to gratitude and peace when reflecting on their baby's short life. Full of practical suggestions for parents and for caregivers, A Gift of Time also features the innovative concept of perinatal hospice and palliative care. Caring and thoughtful, the book helps parents embrace the extraordinary time they will have with their child.