Pregnancy-Loss Books

My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for 5 years. Through the years I have read many books, but this is now my favorite. Hannah's Hope uses sound Biblical principles and the stories are very inspiring, which is what we all need when we are going through this journey.

I have really appreciated this book for its honesty and candidness with the author's struggles as well as some practical information on how to navigate the infertility world with hope, grace, and a view on the Lord.
Thanks

This is the best book I have read on infertility! Easy to relate to, wonderful biblical reference, and brought me peace in a time of hardship. Enjoy and share!

OH what a wonderful book! We struggled with Infertility for years and spent thousands of dollars on treatments with what seemed like no end in sight. I felt so broken, so desperate....I always questioned WHY was this happening to me. Even though my husband was always wonderful & supportive I still hurt...we BOTH did. This book helped me out so much & completely changed the way I looked at my Infertility. I learned so much about myself & the "burden bearers" section of the book was most helpful in telling family members how they could handle this delicate situation as many of them unknowingly can sometimes say the most hurtful things. I had relied on God in the past for support & know that I wouldn't have made it without His comfort & strength as long as I did...but when I began reading this book and found the right places to search in the bible for specific verses, I was a changed woman. This book taught me great patience and that this was a time for me to grow & become closer to God. It gave me great hope and understanding about my struggles with Infertility.....and before I could even get to the end of the book....I got pregnant!!! All in God's time...and what perfect timing it was....just a few days before Thanksgiving! I'm now 13 weeks along and have seen my baby at 3 different times on ultrasound....the baby is perfectly healthy and we are so blessed. I was at my wit's end before starting this book. Of all the books I'd read on Infertility this one helped me the most & I would highly recommend it to anyone else who loves the Lord & is ready to trust in Him completely with their Infertility struggles. Best wishes to all those trying to conceive...may your journey be a short one!

This book is really life changing. It opens your heart and mind up to issues, thoughts, and feelings you may never have dealt with. This book is very well written and easy to understand. I can't imagine someone NOT liking it and gleaning something from it.

Eating disorder authority Michael Strober, Ph.D. and therapist Meg Schneider MA, LMSW combine their expertise in Just A Little Too Thin: How To Pull Your Child Back From The Brink Of An Eating Disorder, a straightforward guide to recognizing the dangerous signs of when one's daughter (or more rarely, one's son) shifts from becoming an "innocent" to "exhilarated" to "preoccupied dieter" - when dieting has less to do with weight and health and more to do with emotional issues that could prove fatal. Offering compassionate, no-nonsense advice on how to talk to one's children about weight issues, and guide him or her away from the slippery slope that can lead to anorexia, bulimia, or other eating disorders, Just A Little Too Thin is a valuable, jargon-free guide. Additional chapters also offer insight concerning when professional help or medical intervention are necessary, and if so, how to go about it. Highly recommended.

Eating disorder authority Michael Strober, Ph.D. and therapist Meg Schneider MA, LMSW combine their expertise in Just A Little Too Thin: How To Pull Your Child Back From The Brink Of An Eating Disorder, a straightforward guide to recognizing the dangerous signs of when one's daughter (or more rarely, one's son) shifts from becoming an "innocent" to "exhilarated" to "preoccupied dieter" - when dieting has less to do with weight and health and more to do with emotional issues that could prove fatal. Offering compassionate, no-nonsense advice on how to talk to one's children about weight issues, and guide him or her away from the slippery slope that can lead to anorexia, bulimia, or other eating disorders, Just A Little Too Thin is a valuable, jargon-free guide. Additional chapters also offer insight concerning when professional help or medical intervention are necessary, and if so, how to go about it. Highly recommended.

Eating disorders are ever more prevalent in an image-obsessed society, the phenomenon affecting young girls at an alarming rate. Faced with this concern, parents are often understandably overwhelmed, at a loss for information. This book is designed to help parents define their daughter's behavior, whether there are signs of a passing phase or more serious symptoms, making specific suggestions to interpret eating behavior. The focus of this volume is pre-disorder, appropriate information for parents before their daughter has slipped into pathology, offering insights for using this information proactively, concentrating on a developing girl before she falls victim to peer pressure and media saturation. The authors outline three stages of eating behavior: the innocent (but rigid) dieter, the exhilarated dieter and the distressed and preoccupied dieter. The evolution of these stages is subtle, the obsessive dieter ever more skilled in exercising aberrant behavior, offering logical excuses for a temporary problem that may, in fact, be accelerating, a condition that "weakens her emotionally, cognitively and physically."

Puberty is a critical factor in the onset of eating disorder or preoccupation with weight, the body's natural changes occurring with social expectations and hormonal acceleration, all of which may distort a girl's perception of her body, her food obsession and lack of nutrition gaining in significance. Other triggers include: intense participation in athletics, genetic predisposition to weight gain and the messages of family, society and peer pressure. Certainly the media sends a strong and consistent drumbeat of impossible perfection, television, the movies and the music industry major contributing factors. Add in an adolescent's need for control and the potential for an eating disorder deserves serious attention. One chapter offers detailed suggestions for counteracting the pervasiveness of a thin-oriented culture, changing the dialog before the damage is done, speaking positively about physical image, avoiding injurious remarks about overweight people, developing inner resources and natural talents and articulating feelings. Specific case studies offer insights into pre-adolescent thinking, some misperceptions that can be corrected as a girl views her identity and body in relation to the world at large.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are disorders that require immediate intervention, a clearly defined diagnosis of specific behaviors and a fear of fat that is not relieved by weight loss. In contrast, Just a Little Too Thin addresses the diet obsession, adolescents and pre-adolescents tailoring their eating habits to control weight gain, a still viable situation where parents can effectively work with their daughters to prevent more serious issues. The most effective treatment is preventive, focusing on teaching girls how to develop healthy self-perception, a valuable asset aimed at dealing with body image before it becomes a problem. Luan Gaines/ 2005.

Dr. Michael Strober has taken his life's work, synthesized it, and encapsulated in a very well written, accessible text. Dr. Strober is known internationally in academic psychiatry and psychology as a "triple threat". This means he has the highest respect as a clinician, teacher and researcher. When it comes to eating disorders you want Dr. Strober to care for you; you want him to teach you and you want to follow his research findings. Now all of these arenas are covered in one place: Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder. I consider this a must read for any patient or family dealing with anorexia as well as all students and clinicians interested in eating disorder.

Dr. Michael Strober provides excellent insight for parents of girls suffering from eating disorders. His combination of academic research and clinical experience makes his advice both practical and effective. There is no other guide like this out there.

Another excellent resource for parents is STICK FIGURE: A DIARY OF MY FORMER SELF by Lori Gottlieb. I heard a reading from both books tonight, and having both the doctor's and patient's points of views was invaluable. As a parent of a teen girl, I highly recommend reading both books together.

I discovered this book while my best friend was having trouble conceiving her first child. She went through many miscarriages and was trying to find a book that spoke to both sides of dealing with a miscarriage: the medical and the emotional. I found this book and she loved it. It was exactly what she had been looking for. It has helped her deal with all the emotions of going through a miscarriage and has recommended it to several others who have been going through the same experience she has.

This is a wonderful book. It is a perfect blend of valuable, well-explained medical information and encouraging, uplifting real-life stories of how different couples overcame a variety of fertility issues to realize their dreams of parenthood. It is very positively written and I would recommend it to anyone who is having trouble conceiving, especially if they have suffered a miscarriage.

If miscarriage hasn't happened to you, it's happened to someone you know. But why aren't we supposed to talk about it? This book starts a long overdue conversation about miscarriage, and covers all of the emotional and physical ground that comes with the spontaneous, grief-inducing end a pregnancy. The writing is spectacular and relateable--finally, women don't have to feel like they're alone. I'm so glad this book is here!

This book contained a lot of information and you don't need a medical degree to understand the terminology. After 3 miscarriages, I wanted to be as informed as possible about causes and prevention because I know miscarriage is not something that "just happens". This book answered a lot of questions and made my discussions with my doctor more productive. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has experienced even one miscarriage.

This medical-based book on pregnancy loss is a very traditional doctor-to-patient manual.

The book contains all the classic elements: signs of an impending loss, common causes, treatments, and thoughts on prevention. It has a nicely expanded section on the impact of health conditions that can complicate a pregnancy. Some of the stories were out-and-out riveting, including patient histories where one twin was failing and they had to make a careful decision on when to deliver for the safety of both, and the harrowing case of a woman with kidney disease trying to delay the birth so her baby would survive, even though she was risking death herself.

However, I have some very sharp criticisms. First, I was shocked at the tone of the Table of Contents.

I'm not sure who thought glib chapter titles such as "scarred and scared" for scar tissue or "misplaced trust" for ectopic were a good idea, but miscarriage is not and will never be funny. Do not try to be clever or use flip word play about women who are in real pain.

This happened again in the myths section. Young calmly talks about how working out, having sex, and caring for your other children are perfectly safe activities. Then, inexplicably, he gets cute, saying that because of the association between night work and an increased risk of miscarriage, "...You can work very hard, only not at night!"

Is that supposed to be funny? Are all the women who have evening shifts, nurses and factory workers and 911 operators, supposed to read that and think -- I killed my baby? Once again I sat the book down and reflected on whether or not I could recommend it.

Since it does its job efficiently most of the time, I will, with some reservation, say, yes, I can recommend it to you. But don't read it when you're upset. Take up this book when you ready to plod through some of the insensitive writing to get at the heart of the research and information.

You can read the full review at www.pregnancyloss.info

How I wish a book like this had been available a few years ago! When I went through my devastating loss at 25 weeks gestation, the only books available were dry, impersonal books that attempted to explain the grief process and how to get through it. It was hard to get through more than one of those. This book lets you live it through real families and their experiences. It reads like a novel, but it is all true. Even if you have never personally had losses like these, you might someday know someone who will, and this will help you understand what to say - and most importantly, what NOT to say.

I could not put this book down. I felt like the author was reading my mind. The pain and devastation of losing a baby is indescribable, yet the author described it perfectly. She gave a heartbreaking, honest description of the range of emotions that bereaved parents go through-from the lowest point to having hope for the future. I cried and even laughed out loud in several parts because the situations described were so similar to my own. I especially loved the way she conveyed what she was thinking in different situations. This book is amazing!!! At the end, the reader is left with a sense of hope. I enjoyed reading this book so much, that I donated my copy to my Share group so that others can benefit from it!

As someone who lost a child at 23 weeks gestation, this book expressed what I was feeling inside.

We regretfully join a club that no one wanted to, but when you find out you are not alone, it eases the grief just a tiny bit and that is exatly what this book does.

Thank you for writing this book Monica.

The "Good Grief Club" is a honest and raw account of lives that have been touched by the unimaginable loss of their babies. It is wonderfully written and threads seven women's lives together. As a reader you are captivated by their stories and as a bereaved parent you are thrust into their pain, sorrow, grief and eventually, hope. It was very easy to connect with Mrs. Novak and I found myself sharing and relating to the darkness, heartache and tears and then one day, like them, seeing a light, a ray of hope and new joy again.

As a bereaved parent I've read many books about losing a child, but I highly recommend The Good Grief Club. This book is an honest account of what this "new" life is like for parents who have experienced a loss. At times the words on the page mirrored things that I have felt and thought, which I found reassuring. With her words, Monica Novak finds a way to convey to readers all of the complicated thoughts and emotions that go along with losing a child, while also instilling a sense of hope that one day the pain will begin to subside. I would recommend this book to anyone who has experienced the heartache of pregnancy loss, still birth or neonatal death, or to anyone who would like to better understand the grueling process of grief and how to help those that have experienced the loss of a child.

This book was such a help for me. My heart hurt so bad after our miscarriage, it was unbelievable. This book helped my head gain a better understanding of the odds, facts, etc. so that my heart could begin to heal. I highly recommend this and have passed my copy on to others who appreciated it too after experiencing mc.

I was told very little about my miscarriage, why it happened, how I should deal with it. "It happens to a lot of women", "You will have to grieve like it was a real baby", "It was better to happen now instead of later", "Try again." I was frustrated and didn't understand what just happened to me and my developing baby. This book answered a lot of my questions. I got an understanding of what a miscarriage is, how it happens, and why. (both myth and fact) The stories from other women made me feel that I really wasn't alone. This book helped me cope with the pain of loosing a baby. I highly recommend it to every woman who suffers a miscarriage!

This book combined with Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler helped me prevent a third miscarriage and carry my beautiful little girl to term. What a shame it is out of print. Perhaps there is similar information in another book. The way it helped me was specifically the information regarding treatment options for low progesterone. Using the Weschler book, I was able to diagnose my probable problem. This book gave the treatment of progesterone cream the thumbs down since she says 'most women can't determine exactly when they are ovulating and the cream works best when used 48 hours after ovualtion/conception.' However, using the Weschler book enables you to know both before and after you ovulate and you can even use a kit to help confirm you are ovulating if you want to be very certain. With Weschlur's methods, you can save money on kits since you will probably be so sure of your approaching ovulation, you will only need to use one or two sticks to confirm. Anyway, my heart goes out to all who have experienced miscarriage as I have. God be with you and good luck. I hope this helps someone else out there!

After a miscarriage during my first pregancy, I felt I needed answers. Even though there is rarely a known cause for a miscarriage, I feel better knowing there are steps I can take to make sure everything is being done for me that can possibly be done. I may never need to concern myself with another miscarriage again, but just having some knowledge is very powerful and has given me hope. It was very healing for me to know I now have "knowledge power" when everything else seems so out of my hands. I also plan to share this book with anyone brave enough to speak about their miscarriage. Unless you've gone through it, you don't know how it turns your life upside down. I'm glad there are good books out there on this often "hush hush" subject.

The pages of my copy are well-worn from use. I referred to this book numerous times after each of my miscarriages (3). Very practical advice, in everyday language! Poignant stories from 3 women were very helpful; it helps to know that other women have the same thoughts & fears. I donated a copy to our hospital's support group, and I would love to give a copy of this wonderful book to my Ob/Gyn. Everyone who has had the misfortune to have had pregnancy loss(es) should have this book.

As person who has experienced loss and as a caregiver I have found this book to be an outstanding resource for women and couples dealing with the loss of a child. I highly recommend this resource.

These stories give you access into the hearts and souls of real people who have been dealt devastating blows but found the strength to overcome. Every hospital chaplain, midwife and obstetrician should have copies of this book on hand to distribute as needed. If you have suffered the loss of a child or if you think you may ever find yourself in the position to comfort someone through their loss, this book is definitely for you. I tip my hat to the brave writers who shared their stories in a much needed effort to heal and encourage others!

This book brought tears to my eyes. It has been long over due that womens' voices can heard on how their loss has impacted their lives. I have given this book to several friends. This book is truly a blessing!!

I was touched by every single story! It was comforting to know that there were other women who knew what my pain was. Knowing I was not alone in my grief, still years later, touched my heart.

After reading this book I felt joy, hope, contentment, and uplifted. I felt as though so many others have gone through this and made it, I felt that I could make it through this as well. I just did not feel alone anymore. I knew that there were people out there that persevered through the storm of loss and truly saw the rainbow at the end of the tunnel. I recommend this book to anyone that has suffered a loss, or knows someone that has.

This is a great book if you are thinking about any kind of body plastic surgery. It has great descriptions and pictures. I highly recommend this book.

This is a great overview of total body lift surgery. Dr. Hurwitz is a pioneer in this field and the book gives you a complete explanation of what can be done to reshape your body after massive weight loss. The personal case histories and photos are amazing stories in and of themselves. Most importantly, it educates the reader about the key questions you need to ask yourself and your doctor before you go ahead with any procedure described in the book. Highly recommend it!

The book is only superceded by it's author! Dr. Hurwitz is a genius, and truly cares about his patients. I have many health problems and see many physicians, but none seem to care about or love what they do as he does. He is a perfectionist, and studies his finished work carefully. I am from Pittsburgh, and he repaired work i had done by another surgeon here. You have no idea the work he had to do! Yet he performed the surgery beautifully and was extremely fair cost wise. It has only been a month since my abdominoplasty/liposuction, and I am healing beautifully and ready for my cruise next month.
Sincerely,
K A Bridge

A must read for anyone considering plastic surgery. Dr. Hurwitz has written a book for those of us wanting and needing comprehensive knowledge of what to expect before, during and after such an extensive, life changing procedure. This book also captures the heart of this surgeon, giving the reader the pleasure of an introduction to, if they're lucky enough, the Doctor who will sculpture their body......and change their life forever, as Dr. Hurwitz has done for me.

The TOTAL BODY LIFT by Dr. Dennis Hurwitz is a must read by anyone who is considering having gastric bypass and for those doctors who treat the obese. It not only gives in great detail all the procedures done in the Total Body Lift but also give excellent information on gastric bypass. There are very detailed drawings of the procedures with before and after photo's. I personally have had the Total Body Lift done by Dr. Hurwitz after losing 175 pounds. It is a most amazing transformation. After being overweight since I was 7 years old and continued to gain after each child, I have never been an average weight. After that extreme weight loss there was a lot of hanging skin, though pleased that I looked better and was the healthiest I have ever been; still I was not happy with how my body looked. After the Total Body Lift, the skin was tight and I had a figure, now fitting into a size 10 jean was just incredible. Dr. Hurwitz is a brilliant surgeon that combines plastic surgery with art. To be able to transform all the hanging skin into a nice looking figure after so many years of obesity is truly amazing. In addition to his skill, his wonderful bedside manner, warm personality and his wonderful staff I feel like I am part of the family. He is truly a unique individual that we (the ex-obese) are so fortunate to have. Thank you Dr. Hurwitz for my amazing transformation.

This book is great in a lot of ways. I really like how it goes through the entire year, not just a few months. I also like how it addresses exercise, nutrition and mental health. As a new mom, there are definitely some weeks that my mental health needs a boost -- this book delivers a year's worth of pointers. You can tell the author just went through this experience herself.

I like this book because the author is a new mom herself and knows that complicated workouts and restrictive eating plans just aren't happening right now. I can follow the plan for each week and feel good without being overwhelmed. (I'm overwhelmed enough as it is right now...anybody else feel that way?)

This book has really helped me. My mind is filled with 10,000 baby-related thoughts, so my favorite thing is that it gives very specific instructions for each week. That's exactly what I need right now.

I read this book 10 months after experiencing a miscarriage. What an amazing book. It is definitely moving and will help women to know they are not alone. The book is filled with tons of references for support groups, online support, local and national foundations, and lots of information on what you can do personally to heal from the loss of a baby. There is a GREAT section to be used by doctors or for women to know how to interact with your doctor during or after a loss. Every story is as unique as one's pregancy. I have since given this book as a gift. My only complaint is that the book was not carefully edited for spelling, grammar, or how it all fit on the page. For me it was hard to get past that. But it did not change the context, helpfullness, or sincereity of the book. Whether you read this book immediately following the loss of your angel or years after a loss you will no doubt find healing & strength.

Remembering Our Angels: Personal Stories Of Healing From A Pregnancy Loss is a perfect title for Hannah Stone's book. Each child that was lost in this book was a little
Angel, it just was not their time to take their place on this world just yet, for whatever reason it may be.

The first few chapters were very informative, while the last chapters were tear jerkers. Some entries were written by doctors that have experienced child loss on a personal basis or have had patients that have suffered through the loss of a child. Other entries were written by mother's or fathers that have also experienced child loss. I found a lot of information there that I had no idea even existed.

I did not know that there was a thing called a perinatal grieving kit. It includes sometimes a plaster mold for the parents to have a little hand or footprint, a container for a lock of hair, and a couple other little things to help remember the child instead of trying to forget what happened. The day a parent looses a child is forever scared on their hearts, and nothing will ever make that day disappear.

In Remembering Our Angels, it tells of ways parents grieved in their own ways. Most have found Internet support groups, talked with other parents that have had a loss, and have even found what works for them in order to help the grieving process. One thing that touched me was a balloon release ceremony. It in a way is like sending a gift up to your child in my opinion.

Having had a miscarriage of my own, this book brings to light a few things I've never thought of before. It is a great help to any who have lost a child no matter the age even if it was only a couple of weeks along or at the end of the nine month gestation period. If you or someone you know is hurting pick up a copy of Remembering Our Angels as well as Hannah Stone's other book Forever Our Angels, it has a lot of information between the pages for helping to heal the heart. 5 Hearts

Both [of Hannah Stone's] books were beautifully written and I felt that Hannah Stone had progressed after "Forever our Angels," to finding a much better way of writing about each stage of pregnancy loss; grief and the healing process with her second book "Remembering our Angels." Both books are honest and simply written and will have a big impact upon the reader from whatever walk of life.

"Forever our Angels" gives the reader a chance to read of others' experience of pregnancy loss, showing just how common it is and letting us know we are not alone. It is well written and easy to take your time over. "Remembering our Angels" is written in much more depth and I think that this would be much more useful for healing and managing grief. I would recommend this book of the two purely because it covers so much unspoken ground for every aspect of pregnancy loss.

Both books are very touching and the way they are set out makes them very easy to read and understand. Both have introductions from medical staff - one doctor in "Forever our Angels" to many more in "Remembering our Angels." I enjoyed reading the views of the professionals in the first chapter and felt comforted that it is now realised that validating the loss of all babies at whatever stage in pregnancy they are lost, is so important in the healing process.

"Remembering our Angels" felt like more of a journey for me; going through each stage of pregnancy loss and reading of how others coped with the experience and the grief. I felt that the point of this book is that they are still having to cope often without adequate support which is needed so much after losing a baby in pregnancy.

There are many good ideas of how to cope after pregnancy loss and many have had very positive experiences from being part of a group or organisation, both personally and in helping others. Both books give the message that this should not be a silent grief. As a volunteer for The Miscarriage Association, I found both extremely useful. They motivated me to appreciate that support for men, women and families experiencing this hidden grief was paramount, helping me to help them.

I feel that the author was very brave to touch on a subject so hidden and ignored in so many ways and I do think that many others will gain strength by reading the stories of loss and survival. It is important to understand that pregnancy loss is a part of our lives and to grow from it.

Lisa Taylor-Dowle
The Miscarriage Association
July 07

I have suffered three miscarriages/stillbirths. I have been given lots of things to read, etc. But this book helped me like no other (besides the Bible) to work through my grief and recover. I am so surprised and saddened that this book is out of print. I give this book to anyone I come across who has experienced miscarriage or stillbirth.

I work with grieving parents who lose children via miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, or early infant loss. I am constantly on the lookout for information that is practical, easy to understand, and compassionate. Silent Cradle is the best of the best, and I frequently recommend it as a "must have." The journaling exercises are invaluable to those navigating their way through the turbulent waters of grief.

I lost my precious little boy exactly a month ago today. Silent Cradle was sent to me by a friend, and it has been such a great help. It is written by someone who's been there, and it was such a relief to know that everything that I have felt, and am still feeling, is normal and has been felt by others. This book has given me such comfort, just to know that I am not alone in my grief, and that there is hope even in the face of such devastating heartbreak.