Half Baked: The Story of My Nerves, My Newborn, and How We Both Learned to Breathe

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Overview

Author Alexa Stevenson had spent most of her life preparing for the wrong disasters. When her daughter is born 15 weeks early, she is plunged into the strange half-light of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, where she learns the Zen of medical uncertainty and makes the surprising discovery that a worst-case scenario may just be the best thing that’s ever happened to her. The absurdities of the medical system, grappling with mortality, and coming into one’s own are all explored in ...

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Half Baked: The Story of My Nerves, My Newborn, and How We Both Learned to Breathe

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More About This Book

Overview

Author Alexa Stevenson had spent most of her life preparing for the wrong disasters. When her daughter is born 15 weeks early, she is plunged into the strange half-light of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, where she learns the Zen of medical uncertainty and makes the surprising discovery that a worst-case scenario may just be the best thing that’s ever happened to her. The absurdities of the medical system, grappling with mortality, and coming into one’s own are all explored in this wryly heartfelt memoir.

From the indignities of infertility treatments to managing bedrest and parenting a preemie (how does one wrangle an oxygen tank while changing a diaper?), Alexa recounts her rocky road to motherhood with a uniquely sharp, funny, yet poignant voice.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Author of the Flotsam blog and contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Stevenson's witty takes on life and parenthood have won her many fans. With her first book, the self-admitted worrier recalls one of the scariest and most painful times in her life. After going through the ups and downs of in vitro fertilization, she becomes pregnant with twins only to lose one and prematurely deliver the other, Simone, a girl, who is immediately placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. With candor and clarity, Stevenson details the harrowing ordeal of watching her daughter fight for her life, slowly get better, and finally breath on her own. Her story is not for the faint hearted and she meticulously chronicles Simone's every step forward and back, revealing a profound experience that imparted the author with hard-earned wisdom and changed her forever. Her favorite quote – "it is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis" – is fitting, given that she spent several months wondering if Simone, now a healthy two year old, would have another day. (Aug.)
Library Journal - BookSmack!
A much-wanted pregnancy gone tragically awry is almost too painful to read, but Stevenson's appealing voice and her transformation from neurotic worrywart to competent mother and advocate for her extremely premature daughter carry readers through her tears, laughter, IVs, and grotesque medical procedures. Entering the Neonatal ICU with her micro premie, Simone, while grieving the in utero death of Simone's twin brother, the normally anxious Stevenson is forced to get over herself. She would never call herself heroic, but it's OK if we do.What I'm Telling My Friends: Stevenson's descriptions of Simone's struggles may cause you to get teary, but it is fabulous to read a book where someone grows up and turns into a better person as a result of a terrible experience. Therese Purcell Nielsen, "Memoir Short Takes," Booksmack! 10/7/10
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780762439461
  • Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers
  • Publication date: 8/10/2010
  • Pages: 304
  • Sales rank: 805,201
  • Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

Alexa Stevenson is author of the popular blog Flotsam, where she writes about everything from parenting to procrastination with a trenchant wit that has earned her a devoted following. Flotsam has won praise from Jezebel, the California National Organization for Women, and the London Sunday Times, and has readers spanning dozens of countries and all 50 states. Alexa has also written for Wondertime Magazine and been a commentator on NPR’s Morning Edition. She lives in St. Paul, MN.

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  • Posted June 26, 2011

    Heartbreakingly beautiful. So honest and well written.

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