Supporting Siblings and Their Families During Intensive Baby Care
By Linda Rector, M.S., CCLS



An infant's NICU stay is a high-stress time for both parents and siblings—and now there's a book that shows professionals how to make the entire family's NICU experience easier by addressing the needs of big brothers and sisters of all ages. The first and only guide to supporting siblings of infants in the NICU, this landmark resource helps clinicians, child life specialists, social workers, and other professionals guide parents as they

• provide their older children with accurate information during a high-risk pregnancy
  
  
• discuss the new baby's NICU stay with siblings in sensitive, age-appropriate ways
  
  
• encourage siblings to celebrate the baby's birth with activities like photo books and journals
  
  
• make sibling and family visits with the baby a success
  
  
• locate and choose a good sibling support group
  
  
• understand and address the particular needs of siblings of multiple newborns

• include siblings in the discharge planning process
  
  
• ease the transition period when an infant comes home
  
  
• include siblings in the baby's care
  
  
• explain a baby's death to an older brother or sister

A must-have for all practitioners who work with families, this easy-to-read book is also a lifeline for parents of at-risk newborns, who will use the real-world advice and strategies to address the needs and concerns of their older children.

Enhanced with photos and true stories from the author's experience as a neonatal child life specialist, this invaluable book will ensure better support for new siblings and help make a stressful, emotional time much easier for everyone involved.

ORDERING INFO
ISBN 978-1-55766-852-3
Paperback
192 pages
6 x 9
2007
Price: $29.95
Stock# 68523

About the Author
Foreword, by Carol Turnage Carrier
Preface

1. The Developmental Perspective: Siblings Across the Age Span

2. The High-Risk Pregnancy: The Big Brother’s and Sister’s Perspective

3. The Newborn in the Hospital: A Stressful Time for Families

4. Talking with Big Brothers and Sisters: What Do We Tell Them?

5. When Parents Visit the Baby: Ways to Support Big Brothers and Sisters

6. Big Brothers and Sisters Visit the Baby: How to Make It a Success

7. Coping with the Birth and Hospitalization of the Baby: How to Help Siblings

8. Sibling Support Groups: Why They Are Important

9. Multiple Babies in the NICU: Support for Brothers and Sisters

10. Getting Ready for the Baby to Come Home: Including Big Brothers and Sisters

11. The Baby Comes Home: Including Big Brothers and Sisters

12. Understanding the Baby’s Death: Support for Siblings

13. The Baby with Special Needs: Big Brother and Sister Issues

14. Growing Together

References
Resources
Index