Meet the Author
Jennifer Schwertfeger lives in Mankato, Minnesota, with her husband and three daughters, Autumn, Grace and Faith. Her heritage is Italian, and she believes in the importance of a close family. Jennifer enjoys working with people and has always been a caregiver. She is excited to be able to use some of her communication and writing skills in her book, “Life with Grace, A Reference Guide for Parents of Premature Babies [1]”. After all she says, “you never know what life has to bring and today I am getting a chance to use my skills to help others. My life has changed over the years with all the difficult circumstances I went through, so it is important to me that I enjoy my life right now, today! I choose to say”, “don’t worry about tomorrow, we can’t control the future, only God knows our plans.”
1.Tell us about your child and what made you decide to write a book “Life with Grace”?
Grace, 10, is my second daughter and her life once she entered this world wasn’t easy. I had a high-risk pregnancy from the very beginning, with a torn placenta. Grace was born a micro-preemie at only 24 weeks and was faced with many medical complications. One of the biggest medical issues she had was chronic lung disease. Chronic lung disease was the genesis of all her medical problems. She had to endure a long hospital stay of 9 months in the NICU/PICU. Grace came home with mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy, and a feeding tube. With nurses around the clock for another nine more months, you can only image how difficult our life was! We managed to cope [2] through the years, but after dealing with one medical issue after another, I felt I needed to share my story. My hope is to help inspire others to move forward with their journey. I made a promise to my mom, near the end of her life that I would get this book published, and somehow make a difference in people’s lives. I knew that at some point with all that our family went through, I would figure out a way to give back with my experiences, and help those living life on a similar path. Grace has special needs today (cognitive and developmental delays), and she is doing the best that she can with the abilities she has. She brings hope to so many families and just seeing her smile makes my day. She has her sisters always to lean on, and my hope is that they will be a big part of her life someday.
2. Give us a snapshot about your book and the topics you cover?
“Life with Grace”is a heartfelt memoir and helpful resource for families struggling to navigate the NICU experiences. Many of the topics that I talk about are from the very beginning of my high-risk pregnancy. They include Grace’s birth, living in the NICU/PICU, navigating the NICU, life in the hospital, bringing Grace home for the first time. Our home environment with nurses around the clock as well as Grace breathing on her own and starting a new beginning. You can buy a copy of this book at https://www.amazon.com/ [1].
3.What do you hope the reader takes away from your book!
That you are not alone, and by all means, we know that life isn’t easy. It was important to me that I shared this book and my story, so that others realize that there are many people out there, who are in need of support. While I was going through such extreme circumstances with Grace, I felt sad and alone, that my life was so hard to comprehend even. I felt that many would want to hear about my story, to help encourage them to move forward with their situation. There are many people today who have children born with special needs, and have lived the life of the hospital setting. I think we all, at some point, have taken our health for granted. Through it all, I have learned to put my trust in my Faith. People need support, and I hope that my book will give them just that! For such a long time, I was under a lot of emotional stress, and I felt physically exhausted from what we endured. In addition, when my mom got sick, I finally came to a point that I had to look at all the positives. Realize that I can’t change things the way that they are, but rather how can I make them better. Feeling happy is the key to moving forward with your life. “Life with Grace” shows that miracles do exist. Grace is living proof of it. Sometimes we have to go through hard times to realize what we do have! Having a child born with special needs has changed me, but it also helped me recognize what is most important: my faith and family.
Read our “Real Moms Share” Interview with: Jennifer Schwertfeger [3]
Helpful Articles
- Miracle Babies What You Need to Know [4]
- World Prematurity Day – Parents Around The World Raise Awareness of Premature Birth [5]
- Real Moms Share: Deb Discenza [6]
- Amazing Grace! [7]
You May Also Like
- Early Intervention: First Steps in the Right Direction [8]
- Handling Your Child’s Diagnosis: Six Things Parents Should Do For Themselves [9]
- A Complete Guide on Positive Behavior Support for Children With Special Needs [10]
- Family Chat: Improving Lives with Positive Behavior Support (PBS) [11]
- 8 Ways to be a Great Advocate For Your Family Member With Special Needs [12]
- How to Get Free From Unrealistic Expectations of Motherhood [13]
- Father’s Perspective: Raising a Child with Special Needs [14]
- Daddy Loves You: A Reminder for Daddies of Children with Special Needs [15]
- I Do Not like Being a Special Needs Parent and That’s OK [16]
- Being United, Pampering, and Taking Care of Ourselves [17]
- Coping with the Life You Never Imagined [2]
- Avoiding the Power Struggles with Your Child [18]