Each year, about 400,000 families in the United States alone welcome their babies a little early. One in 10 babies are born prematurely.

But there are few books out there that capture the depth and breadth of this experience — what it’s like to welcome a baby earlier than expected.

What helped us in that time was reading and sharing stories — about having a preemie, about being a preemie, and the ways the experience shapes families and identities.

What We Didn’t Expect: Personal Stories of Premature Birth is an anthology of essays on the range of experiences: from the “miracle baby” of undocumented immigrants to the NICU nurse who finds herself having not one but two premature babies.

I hope you’ll consider preordering the book from your local independent bookstore! And for more information about the book, including some very exciting events, please visit melodyschreiber.com.

I feel incredibly lucky to be able to edit this collection, and these astoundingly talented writers, because the stories lift me up on the low days.

In many ways, this pandemic has reminded me of those stressful, terrifying early months, and the gradual easing up on fear and uncertainty as time passed.

It was the most difficult experience of our lives, but we made it through. We’ll do it again.