"[Heineman's] story reveals the depths of emotional pain associated with stillbirth and reveals that parental love has no boundaries."Publishers Weekly Ghostbelly is by far the most beautifully written and intimate account of something a lot of us have gone through, which is the death of an unborn child. It's an incredible and moving book, and I'm so thankful for it. Jane Pratt, founding editor of xoJane and SassyThis is a book about birth and death seen with a smart, sensitive, well-trained eye. Barbara Katz Rothman, author of In Labor and Laboring OnGhostbelly illuminates the complex emotional landscape of stillbirthputting into frank and poetic words the unspeakable experience of simultaneously grieving and mothering a baby who has died. Groundbreaking for its exploration of the unexpected benefits of reclaiming traditional rituals around birth and death, Ghostbelly brilliantly demonstrates the value in determining what holds meaning for you, and then unapologetically going for it, no matter what others might think. Deborah L. Davis, author of Empty Cradle, Broken Heart"Ghostbelly contains some of the most powerful and heart-wrenching sentences about mourning the loss of a baby I have ever read." Perry-Lynn Moffitt, author of A Silent Sorrow how many books does the average person read in a year Ghostbelly
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Amazing, moving story of the unimaginable.By Little BuddleI ordered this book as because I am an LD nurse and wanted insight into what to say to grieving families. I cannot imagine the depth of the grief, and the self-doubt and blame that must accompany an intrapartum death. As a mother, I have incredible anxiety about my children dying, and it was somewhat comforting to learn that I could take my babies home after death to have time to say goodbye outside of the hospital.No one talks about babies born sleeping, miscarriages, or infant death. Our culture is so uncomfortable around death that we sanitize and hide it. Books like this need to be written.Spoiler Alert:The only disappointment that I had with this book is that the author blames her choice of home birth. Low risk is not no risk. No practitioner can guarantee a good obstetric outcome. Someone is the statistic, or there would not be no statistics. Placental Abruption is a major cause of still birth. It can happen suddenly, unexpectedly, and very quickly. I don't know the author, but it from her book, I find it hard to believe that she would have been ok with an induction just because she was 12 days overdue. I've been there, and also refused it.I work in home birth. I think that I would have made the same call that Diedre did. I also think that if she had called the hospital with her contractions, they would have told her to wait and come in when they were stronger, longer, and closer together. Unfortunately, once they became alarmed by the bleeding, it was probably too late.To the author- Little Thor's life after death will remain with me for a long time. Thank you for telling this story.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Not an easy book to read, but an important oneBy Gina CovarrubiasThere was a time, not so long ago, when it was considered perfectly acceptable to keep your deceased loved ones in your home for a while, and also to pose for photos with them. Last week I read an article about a female Macaque who carried her dead newborn around for days before she was ready to let it go. The monkey, apparently, failed to get the memo that these practices became socially unacceptable in the early 20th Century. Thats because nature doesnt conform to societal norms, and neither did bereaved mother Elizabeth Heineman.In Ghostbelly Heineman does what feels natural to her in the aftermath of the birth of her stillborn son, even when it proves unpopular. What would have been my last child is currently buried under a potted ficus on my porch, and I have two black thumbs. My efforts to refrain from killing this fickle plant sometimes seem like a sick joke Im playing on myself, but at the time I couldnt think of what else to do except to go to Home Depot. I felt like if I didnt do somethinganythingI was going to completely fall apart, and talking about it seemed like something I was definitely not free to do. What is the right way to grieve for your lost baby when everything about losing a baby in the first place is so horribly wrong, and why cant we talk about it?Writing Ghostbelly was to Elizabeth Heineman what fertilizing my Lazarus of a plant is to me. It gives us something to do for someone for whom there is nothing else to be done. Heineman challenges us to carefully reexamine and reconsider our beliefs about what we are expected to do and how we are expected to feel when pregnancy does not result in a living baby. Why wouldnt it be okay for her to care for the body of her child? To read to him? To sleep with him in a sidecar crib next to the bed? To feel any joy at all in the face of unimaginable sorrow?Heinemans time with her son was too short, and once it was over there was no getting it back. She had only one chance to do what she felt was right and to parent her son in the only way that was available to her. Seizing that opportunity required incredible bravery on her part. Almost as much as it must have taken for her to write Ghostbelly even though she must have known it would result in her broken hearts public dissection.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Difficult but Compelling StoryBy CustomerI started reading it and didn't put it down until I finished it. Haunting and Painful. Elizabeth Heineman's brutally honest telling of her birth of a stillborn child was intense and gripping.