Book Review: After Miscarriage

A month or so ago I sat down to take a peek inside Karen Edmisten's After Miscarriage: A Catholic Woman's Companion to Healing and Hope. Once I started reading this book I realized that much of what is contained in it is helpful not only to those who have suffered a miscarriage, but also to those who are trying to offer comfort and support to grieving parents.

One thing that struck me about this book is the wealth of information it contains that you might not think about until you are in the midst of a miscarriage, such as planning a burial.  Having lived through the stress of six weeks of not knowing whether or not my first pregnancy was going to end in miscarriage [I had complications that brought the survival of the pregnancy into doubt], I can tell you that the thought of what we would do with the baby's remains if I miscarried never even crossed my mind.  So while this book is intended to help women heal from the pain and inexplicable grief of a miscarriage, it also offers plenty of practical advice that may not be in the forefront of your thoughts at the time of a miscarriage.

Once I started paging through the book I found myself unable to put it down.  I read it in an evening.  It's filled with touching contributions from mothers and fathers who have suffered miscarriages, notes from the author's journal, and passages from scripture.  After reading through this book, I'm certain that it would be a great source of comfort for any mother who is suffering from such a loss.

I was provided with a review copy of this bookby Servant Books, the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.