Expecting Sunshine – Alexis Marie Chute

After her son, Zachary, dies in her arms at birth, visual artist and author Alexis Marie Chute disappears into her “Year of Distraction.” She cannot paint or write or tap into the heart of who she used to be, mourning not only for Zachary, but also for the future they might have had together. It is only when Chute learns she is pregnant again that she sets out to find healing and rediscover her identity―just in time, she hopes, to welcome her next child.

In the forty weeks of her pregnancy, Chute grapples with her strained marriage, shaken faith, and medical diagnosis, with profound results. Glowing with riveting and gorgeous prose, Expecting Sunshine chronicles the anticipation and anxiety of expecting a baby while still grieving for the child that came before―enveloping readers with insightful observations on grief and healing, life and death, and the incredible power of a mother’s love.

Expecting Sunshine – DVD – Alexis Marie Chute

A documentary film about pregnancy after loss

Expecting with Hope: Claiming Joy When Expecting A Baby After A Loss – Teske Drake 

‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.’ -Isaiah 26:3 

When 31 percent of pregnancies end in loss, it is no surprise that miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss brings great grief, nor is there a shortage of books addressing how to move through and past that sorrow. What is seldom considered, however, is that 85 percent of those women go on to become pregnant again-yet the complexity of emotions triggered by a pregnancy following a loss is rarely addressed. With this book, Teske Drake challenges women to claim joy in the midst of grief when newly expecting, and shows them just how to accomplish that. Centered on biblical promises like the one above, and focused specifically around promises of ‘peace,’ this book is a practical guide written by a mother who’s been there. Drake acknowledges the torrent of anxiety that replaces the natural joy pregnancy can bring. She avoids painful cliches and works instead to unearth deeper truths. Her tone is gentle, caring, and compassionate, drawing women back to a place of peace and joy, both with God and with their current pregnancy. This ten-chapter book includes accompanying devotions, ‘Pregnancy Prayers,’ personal anecdotes from other mothers who’ve experienced similar loss, and ‘Pen the Promise’ journaling prompts to encourage personal application of the promises Drake reveals. She constantly drives the reader back to Scripture, sharing not only promises given, but promises fulfilled. Women are offered practical information, as well as encouragement and inspiration. With Expecting with Hope, Drake provides a deeply needed space for expectant mothers to rediscover the joy and peace of pregnancy.

Journeys: Stories of Pregnancy After Loss – Amy L. Abbey, Editor

Not all pregnancies end with a healthy child going home from the hospital in the arms of its happy parents. There is a little recognized reality that many pregnancies end in pre-delivery death in utero. There are numerous reasons for such tragedies, but often the loss is unexplainable. Amy L. Abbey as author and editor, has gathered the stories of almost a dozen families, and shares how the families coped with loss and went on to have successful pregnancies.

My Baby Big Sister – Cathy Blanford

“My Baby Big Sister” was written for children who were born subsequent to a pregnancy loss or infant death. This book will help with the confusion these children often experience when they learn about the baby who died before they were born.

Pregnancy after a Loss – Carol Cirulli Lanham

For a woman who has experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of an infant, conceiving another child can be fraught with mixed emotions. This guide, filled with up-to-date medical information and written by a woman who herself experienced a successful pregnancy after the loss of her first baby, can help women cope with their anxiety. It offers guidance for women asking such questions as:

• Why did it happen – and how can I make sure it doesn’t happen again?
• Will my next pregnancy be considered high-risk?
• How long should I wait before getting pregnant again?
• What can I expect at prenatal exams?
• Will I ever be able to love another baby as much as I love the one I lost?

Pregnancy after a loss can be a time of great emotional upheaval—but also, a time of healing and hope. With this sensible, sensitive guide, women can put their minds at ease—and learn to look forward to the future as they make peace with the past.

Rainbow After a Storm – Susan Erling Martinez

Rainbow After A Storm is a compilation of poetry by Susan Erling Martinez. The collected works span from when she first learns she is pregnant, through the stillbirth of her son, Jesse, and on to the subsequent birth of her twins. It follows the joy of discovery, the pain of loss, and the joy mixed with foreboding during a subsequent pregnancy. It contains 20 poems, including “The Birth/Death,” “A Letter to My Unborn Babies,” and “Rainbows.”

Spirit Babies: How to Communicate With the Child You Are Meant to Have – Walter Makichen

In this reassuring, supportive, and accessible book, leading clairvoyant and medium Walter Makichen offers guidance to prospective parents eager to create a warm, nurturing environment for their soon-to-be-conceived-or-born children. Applying the wisdom and insights he has gained through twenty years of communicating with these spirit babies, Makichen helps you resolve issues about starting a family…actively participate in the psychic process of creating a child…and move past your worries and fears about becoming parents. From the seven essential chakras that link our body, mind, and spirit to why pregnant women are superpsychic, you’ll discover:

* How to create the energy that nurtures spirit babies
* How to understand how past lives and chakras relate to your unborn child
* The conception contract–what it is and what it means for you and your child
* How karmic pairings affect conception and pregnancy
* Why miscarriages occur and what they can signify
Plus spirit babies and guardian angels…spirit babies and adoption…spirit babies and dreams…and much more

Still to be Born – Pat Schwiebert, RN, Paul Kirk, MD

This is a well-written and informative book on what happens next. It truly is “A Guide For Bereaved Parents Who Are Making Decisions About Their Future.” Still to be Born talks openly about whether or not to get pregnant again, and factors that should be considered before that decision is made. It also discusses medical considerations, other options, and warns about confusing grief with an attempt for a “replacement child.” This book is vital for anyone who is contemplating pregnancy after the pain of miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death.

The Shadow of an Angel: A Diary of a Subsequent Pregnancy Following Neo-Natal Loss –Marion Deutsche Cohen

A diary of a Subsequent Pregnancy following a Neo-Natal Loss

Trying Again – Ann Douglas and John R. Sussman, MD

This is a book devoted to understanding pregnancy, loss and new hope written by Ann Douglas and John R. Sussman, MD. Issues covered include recent research into causes of pregnancy loss and infant death, resources for helping couples decide when they are physically and emotionally ready for a subsequent pregnancy, anxiety that another pregnancy often brings and coping skills for the emotional highs and lows during the postpartum period.

When Pregnancy Follows a Loss: Preparing for the Birth of Your New Baby –  Joann O’Leary & Claire Thorwick

The loss of a baby during pregnancy or in the newborn period is the most devastating event parents can undergo. Our children are not supposed to die before us. Few people understand the conflicting emotions that surface during a subsequent pregnancy nor that these feelings are normal, given your life experience. Embracing the life of a new baby can be daunting when others may not understand you are still a parent of a baby who died. But that baby is part of your family forever. While each family has their own story, there are also many commonalities. This booklet is a compilation of families’ experiences. It is the hope that the voices of other parents will help you find a new way of being and coping.