Customer Reviews

Waiting: A Diary of Loss and Hope in Pregnancy

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After losing my first pregnancy at 16 weeks I was hard pressed to find a book that really spoke to me in a way that helped me deal with the mixed feelings of grief, fear for any future pregnancies and guilt that I was experiencing. This book was recommended to me by a friend and I finally found in it the words that I could not find anywhere else. In places I broke down reading this book because Ms. Reich's feelings and thoughts were so similar to my own that I felt that she had climbed into my mind. For anyone who has lost a baby - particuarly anyone who has done so before ever having had a successful pregnancy (this was my first pregnancy) - this book is a quiet comfort telling you that you are not alone and that good things are still possible in the future. Knowing this, of course, is not a panacea to the overwhelming feelings that accompany the loss of a pregnancy, but it is a tremendous gift to believe that there may be light at the end of the tunnel. I plan to give a copy of this book to another friend who recently suffered a miscarriage. I hope to never have to buy another copy for anyone else, but I'll do so without hesitation if the sad need ever arises again.

Cycles of loss and hope in pregnancy are shared by millions of women, yet few find fellow travelers to communicate with during this journey. Ellen Reich's book offers a reader connection with another who expresses herself with an honesty that rings true to the conflicting emotions of both trying to protect a pregnancy while realizing the immense cost emotionally to be on an uncertain journey to birth following miscarriages. What rings true in this book is Ms. Reich continuing on other journeys at the same time: balancing home vs. career choices; experiencing inner conflicts about parenting goals; changing relationships with her spouse and friends. All of these are countered nicely with the rhythym of nature observed outwardly as she travels through her private inward journey.

This book is a "must read" for anyone suffering from the inexplicable grief that accompanies miscarriage and it would be helpful for anyone wishing to gain an understanding of what miscarriage does to a woman. I read Ms. Reich's book years after suffering from multiple miscarriages and I felt as if she had read my mind during those dark days of grief. It was a wonderful gift to see my hopes and fears explained in the eloquent words of Ms. Reich. Healing from the loss of a pregnancy is a very personal and complex journey that even well-intentioned people may not understand. I wish I had read this book when I felt that I was all alone in the world. "Waiting" touched my heart.

This is a very beautiful book. I have never suffered a miscarriage, however, I have known people close to me who have. I was never quite sure what to say to them, nor was I able to understand the depth of their loss. Ellen Reich's book changed and enlightened me on the topic of miscarriage. I wish I had read her book years ago when my own sister suffered several miscarriages. After reading the effect people's words have on a person who has recently suffered a miscarriage, I believe the audience that should read this book is a large one. Ms. Reich's book also covers issues of spirituality, feminism, and the fears of new impending motherhood. I laughed, I cried, I found peace in her words. Intensely personal and beautiful, it is a gift to all who read it.