This book came to me a few weeks ago and I've been reading it on and off since then. Originally I thought: why would I want to read tales of labour, birth, pregnancy and new motherhood when I'm finally on the outer cusp of that (intense) period in my life? However, Great Expectations: Twenty-Four True Stories about Childbirth, edited by Dede Crane and Lisa Moore, is a collection of emotional, funny, heart-wrenching memoirs and anyone who is interested in parenthood or who loves a good read will be moved.
I've not yet read all of the twenty-four stories included in this book but certain paragraphs and experiences from the stories I have read, stand out. In Congratulations! It's A Toaster, Caroline Adderson offers a witty take on the matter of maternity wear: "My clothes no longer fit, and I had to dip into that green garbage bag of pastel hand-me-downs passed on by friends and friends of friends. This garbage bag of unflattering, out-of-style maternity wear is as much a fact of pregnancy as edema and Braxton-Hicks contractions, and receiving it, a rite of passage." Anyone who's been pregnant likely relates to that sentiment.
In Earth Mother, Joan Clark writes about her four births - two healthy baby boys, one baby who subsequently dies from encephalitis and the adoption of her baby girl. As a new mother in the 1960s, Clark's transformation into a "mother bear" surprises her: "The ferocity of maternal love took me by surprise. It was visceral, primeval." She also shares shocking stories about "medieval labour rooms" and a horrifying comment from one doctor about her deceased son.
Curtis Gillespie writes about childbirth from a man's perspective in Helpless. When his wife's second pregnancy goes awry, he ponders the role of men and fathers in the birthing process: "Men are just hangers-on, basically, delivery-room roadies...it's all going to go ahead whether he is there or not, whether he is supportive or not, whether he displays his caring and sensitivity and massage skills and ice-chip skills...that baby is coming out of that woman now, today and nothing's going to change that."
If you're looking for an excellent read or want to buy a meaningful gift for the mother- or father-to-be, definitely consider this book. Great Expectations is $21.95 CDN and can be ordered online through the link at the top [search on the publisher's web site] or in bookstores.














