April Books

My April books might not be as applicable to everyone as past months have been. But as I have been dealing with a very specific trial, I have been reading very specific books. This month I read:

"Empty Cradle, Broken Heart: Surviving the Death of Your Baby" by Deborah L. Davis

and "For They Shall be Comforted: Grieving the Loss of A Child" by Camille Call Whiting

I highly recommend both books for anyone who has ever lost a child. Whether by miscarriage, stillbirth, or young in their infancy. The second book was a gift from a co-worker who lost her son at 38 weeks. It's from an LDS perspective and gave me a lot of hope. She shares her own stories of child loss and goes on to talk about how she healed, how she celebrates her angel babies, and how she built a new life with help from the Savior. It's beautiful and brought a lot of answers and hope for the future. I saw how she survived more loss than I have experienced, and made it through. It was very comforting.

The first book is written from more of an outside, psychological standpoint but was incredibly helpful. It helped me see that I wasn't crazy for being so sad and depressed. It helped me understand the emotions and steps I was going through and what to expect later on down the road. You can read the whole thing, or just take bits and pieces of what you need. The author wrote from an outsiders perspective, but it included several stories and quotes from women and men who had lost a child. It helped me understand my grieving a lot better. The title is so sad but really, really rang true for me. One of the hardest parts of this whole thing was being so far along in the pregnancy. It was so real. I felt the baby. I knew the baby. We were only a few weeks away. I had quit my job. I was having my first baby shower in 3 days. I had carried her for 8 months. Her nursery was all set up. Coming home to that room and empty cradle was more pain than I can explain. This book helped me see I wasn't alone in that pain, and that I would survive it.

Both books are incredible for anyone going through this, or if you know someone going through this. They offer great advice for friends and family members of how to handle the situation and how to help your loved one through this difficult time. I read both books in two days. I really loved them.