Early

An Intimate History of Premature Birth and What It Teaches Us About Being Human

By: Sarah DiGregorio

Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon

Inspired by the author’s harrowing experience giving birth to her premature daughter, a compelling and empathetic work that combines memoir with rigorous reporting to tell the story of neonatology—and to meditate on the questions raised by premature birth.

The heart of many hospitals is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). It is a place where humanity, ethics, and science collide in dramatic and deeply personal ways as parents, doctors, and nurses grapple with sometimes unanswerable questions: When does life begin? When and how should life end? And what does it mean to be human?

Nearly twenty years ago, Dr. John D. Lantos wrote The Lazarus Case, a seminal work on ethical dilemmas in neonatology. He described the NICU as “a strong, strange, powerful place.” The NICU is a place made of stories—the stories of mothers and babies who spend days, weeks, and even months waiting to go home, and the dedicated clinicians who care for these tiny, developing humans. The book explores the evolution of neonatology and its breakthroughs—how modern medicine can be successful at saving infants at five and a half months gestation who weigh less than a pound, when only a few decades ago, there were essentially no treatments for premature babies.

For the first time, Sarah DiGregorio tells the complete story of this science—and the many people it has touched. Weaving her own story, those of other parents, and NICU clinicians with deeply researched reporting, Early delves deep into the history and future of neonatology, one of the most boundary pushing medical disciplines: how it came to be, how it is evolving, and the political, cultural, and ethical issues that continue to arise in the face of dramatic scientific developments.

Eye-opening and vital, Early uses premature birth as a lens to view our own humanity, and the humanity of those around us.

Must Read

Must read for NICU parents. Recommend to everyone! But fair warning, I did have to skip reading one of the chapters while my daughter was in the NICU - was just too tough to read. Finished the entirety of the book once she came home. Incredibly well done.

Not as niche as you might think

While the frame around this story is the author's own story of her daughter, this is only a bit of memoir membrane (placenta?) around an examination of how science and medicine has evolved in dealing with pre-term babies. Definitely some trigger moments for anyone who has spent time around newborns in medical distress, preemie or not.

I imagine some will come to this book through their own experiences with premature birth. I came to it through my interest in reproductive justice, but found myself also interested in the questions it raises about disability and health care. The author does a good job of weaving information about premature birth into some of this wider context. I like that she dedicated the final chapter to giving premature children their own voice, but I could have used even a bit more of their own stories and their own perspectives. I wish that chapter had been longer.

Overall, I was surprised at how much ground the author covered. I learned a lot.

Gripping read for this late preterm infant mom

As a mom of a 35 week late preterm infant, I didn’t know how much I would get out of this book. My child spent five days in the NICU at birth (and was readmitted for four more days before his due date). I felt like a fraud in a way claiming to have a premie because so many people think of early to moderate preterm infants as premies, not 35 weekers. This book was fascinating on a number of levels and even validating. I was surprised by how much of my experience and complex grief was common among moms of premies. Beyond my personal interest as a mom of a premie, this books is also political without being partisan. This has been one of the most thought provoking and timely books I’ve read in a long time.

Lots of info

This was a great listen with lots of information about early birth from the standpoint of a mother and medical provider. Great information about the course of medicine and prematurity.

A NICU Mother Must-Have

The education from doctors, data, and “faith” make this a must have read for any NICU parent. As my baby’s advocate, I feel empowered with knowledge and nuance I never had.