Press Releases
WASHINGTON, DC, June 24, 2020 – PreemieWorld and Prolacta Bioscience are proud to announce publication of the updated second edition of The Preemie Parent’s Survival Guide to the NICU. Providing in-depth information for parents with a preterm infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the guide is a welcome resource for parents and caregivers alike.
“The knowledge gap for new parents of a premature infant is vast, and their journey is utterly uncharted,” says Deb Discenza, preemie mother, and founder, CEO and publisher of PreemieWorld LLC.
For the past 11 years, The Preemie Parent’s Survival Guide to the NICU has served as a road map to parents suddenly faced with the challenging reality of having a premature infant. The guide includes practical advice from both a clinical and emotional perspective, coupled with real-life highlights and perspectives from parents and healthcare professionals.
With the support of Prolacta, the new edition incorporates critical information for parents based on clinical advancements during the past decade. This includes the vital role of optimal nutrition, especially for very low birth weight babies born weighing 2.5 pounds (1,250 g) or less.
“For these premature infants, an exclusive human milk diet (EHMD) provides the added calories and protein to optimize the development of their brains and bodies,” Discenza says.
The guide, which is available in print and as a digital e-book, will be distributed to NICUs worldwide. It is also available for purchase online at PreemieWorld.com and on Amazon.
“It is an honor to help parents alongside Prolacta Bioscience,” Discenza says. “I have witnessed firsthand the amazing outcomes that Prolacta’s 100% human milk-based fortifier achieved in a preemie boy born 18 weeks early. His mother fought to ensure her son received an EHMD including Prolacta’s fortifiers, and his clinical condition made a sharp turn in the positive direction. Unlike many preemies who receive cow milk-based fortifiers, he did not experience any of the comorbidities that can lead to complications and even death of a baby born on the cusp of viability. It was amazing.”
“Thanks to the advancements of Prolacta’s 100% human milk-based fortifiers, we are truly witnessing a change of the tide in terms of better outcomes for these babies,” Discenza says.
Preemie parents have an opportunity to advocate for their newborns regarding nutrition. The Preemie Parent’s Survival Guide to the NICU is one of the only books in the field that addresses the latest clinical advances in nutrition and preemie care.
“We’re honored to work with PreemieWorld to ensure that parents have the comprehensive information they need throughout their NICU journey,” says Scott Elster, CEO of Prolacta Bioscience. “Educating preemie parents has been a passion of Deb Discenza’s since her daughter was born, and we’re proud to support her work with the second edition of The Preemie Parent’s Survival Guide to the NICU.”
About PreemieWorld LLC
PreemieWorld is an educational products and research company. Founder and CEO Deb Discenza, parent to a special needs child, is the co-author of The Preemie Parent’s Survival Guide to the NICU and the publisher of two newsletters: preemieFAMILY for parents and preemiePRO for professionals. The PreemieWorld website has a wealth of information and resources for both parents and professionals in the global preemie community.
About Prolacta Bioscience
Prolacta Bioscience® Inc. is a privately held life sciences company dedicated to Advancing the Science of Human Milk®. Prolacta is the world’s leading hospital provider of 100% human milk-based nutritional products, which have reduced complications and improved the health of more than 63,000 extremely premature infants globally. Prolacta is also exploring the therapeutic potential of human milk across a wide spectrum of human diseases, including applications for infants requiring surgery for congenital cardiac and gastrointestinal disorders. Operating the world’s first pharmaceutical-grade human milk processing facilities, Prolacta leads the industry with the highest quality and safety standards for the screening and testing of donor milk. Prolacta is a global company with headquarters in Duarte, California, and can be found online at prolacta.com, on Twitter at @prolacta, on Instagram at @prolacta_bioscience, on Facebook at facebook.com/prolacta, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/prolacta-bioscience/.