The Wish & The Wonder for Expectant Parents
“Pregnancy is clearly one of the most profound psychological events in a human life. It is the ultimate psychosomatic experience.”—Donald Sloan, M.D.
Pregnancy can be a time of enormous upheaval. Fears of the unknown, financial concerns, physical discomforts and marital stress tend to escalate as the baby develops and the woman’s body takes on alarming shapes. The “how-to” books on pregnancy are not always helpful. Their encyclopedic coverage of potential mishaps and their graphic photos can actually terrify rather than encourage their readers.
The Wish & The Wonder: Words of Wisdom for Expectant Parents is a joyful collection of quotations and intimate experiences that celebrates pregnancy and birth while offering choice bits of information. Over 400 selections from literary masters, celebrities, doctors, and parents who have been there offer perspectives on everything from conception to natural childbirth to the very nature of love itself. The varied voices, uplifting tone, and humor of this book appeals to men and women alike. This is one resource couples will share, laugh over, and reflect upon.
The Wish & The Wonder progresses through five chapters:
THE WISH discusses the experiences of the first trimester. Selections touch upon the mixed emotions when pregnancy is first confirmed; the immediate physical changes and need for sleep; and the hope and prayer for a healthy boy or girl.
“When I saw that the test indicated positive, I felt a sort of sacred circle around me, that my world was not all the things happening in the newspaper, but rather my world was my body and the creation of my child.” —Marcy Shaffer
THE WORRY is about the anxieties that often surface during the second trimester, such as financial concerns; impact on one's career; and worries over the development of the baby.
“It is tough. If you just want a wonderful little creature to love, you can get a puppy.” —Barbara Walters
THE WAIT focuses on the third trimester and encourages readers to make the most of this amazing time; to relish the baby’s movement within; to enjoy being a couple before the baby arrives; to laugh along the way and grow in patience.
“While some pregnant women see only a bulging belly, others are intimately connected with their unborn babies. Such women don’t just go swimming, for example, they take the baby swimming.” —Elizabeth Noble
THE WORK refers to labor. Selections encompass both easy and difficult labors and birthing with and without medications. Also included are informative and sometimes comical quotes about the progression of labor and the important role of the husband or birthing coach.
“What one has to do usually can be done.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
THE WONDER delights in the moment of birth and its impact on the parents. Quotes marvel at the strength of the woman and speculate about what comes next. The nature of love and the “divine mission” of parenting are expounded upon.
“Frailty, thy name is no longer woman.” —Victor Riesel
Gail Perry Johnston also authored The Social Cause Diet: Filling Up With Satisfying Acts of Service and coauthored A Rumor of Angels: Quotations for Dying, Living & Letting Go. Johnston’s books go deep, and yet, they have a lightness that gives them a broad appeal.
