Before I got pregnant with Gabbie, there were a lot of things plotting against my plan to become pregnant. I was diagnosed with multiple issues, including polycystic ovarian syndrome and a prolactinoma – a benign tumor on my pituitary gland which caused an increase in the hormone prolactin in my body – which made me unlikely to ovulate regularly. With medical treatment, I was able to conceive and after my first pregnancy, the issues seemed to have dissipated. I was lucky and I knew it, but reading Chasing Hope by Amy Daws made me realize that again. No one should ever have to go through the things Amy and her husband Kevin went through to have a baby.
“At 33 weeks pregnant, Amy is certain something bad will soon happen, it had too many times before. Deep down she fears it’s only a matter of time before the baby she’s carrying will die. Despite the fact that Amy had been repeatedly slapped in the face with multiple miscarriages, she still can’t seem to quiet that tiny voice in the back of her head that’s screaming at her to not give up hope. Follow Amy’s true story as she stumbles through her journey with humor and warmth, all while dealing with the neuroses that came along with getting her hopes shattered time and time again. All she has to do is close her eyes and she’s lurched back to the memories of her losses; on the floor in her bathroom, in the hospital, and even at her place of work. No one knows what the internal mind of a woman who’d lost five babies and suffered so many let downs goes through. Can Hope ever truly survive memories such as these?”
Reading Amy’s journey was heart wrenching. Every other chapter described the previous losses she suffered, while the alternate chapters were about her journey towards the finish line of her pregnancy with her daughter Lorelai. Amy’s voice is so relatable and real that I felt as if I was reading something written by a friend. Amy and I had been emailing about my copy of the book and after I read her chapter about the message board where she received online support, I emailed her about my similar experience – I am still in touch with many of the ladies who were trying to conceive at the same time that I was trying to conceive Gabbie.
Amy did a lot of research and found a doctor who was able to help her with her specific problem that caused her to have multiple pregnancy losses. This woman is the definition of strength – advocating for herself and finding the right person to help her towards her goal, the whole time mourning her lost babies and keeping her relationship with her husband strong. I am sure she is an amazing mother because of everything she went through to get her baby.
For more information about the book, visit www.amydawsauthor.com, the Chasing Hope facebook page, or follow Amy on twitter.
You can order your copy from Amazon, or you can enter to win an e-copy right here!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are my own.
Good luck!