Description:
Starting with the point of discovery, Cecelia Cancellaro's book follows a simple chronological progression from diagnostic testing through complications, labor, and delivery. It ends with the "harsh realities of postpartum life" and a section told from the partner's perspective. Each story is short--just a page or two--told in the first person, and introduced by the author with a brief paragraph of background information. The stories cover a wide range of emotions. We hear from women who got pregnant without trying (or even while actively trying to prevent it); women who tried and succeeded; women who tried, lost their babies, and tried again; and women who needed fertility treatments. The labors range from straightforward and short to hideously long and complicated. One woman had an emergency C-section and was temporarily blinded and partially paralyzed; her partner struggled to attend to both their 2-year-old daughter and their premature son in the intensive-care unit. All of the stories are told with honesty and clarity, letting the reader know just how the mother-to-be or her partner felt as they approached moments of fear and delight. Any woman who dips into Pregnancy Stories and reads a handful of pages here and there will feel as if she has a whole new set of friends to compare notes with. --Richard Farr
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