I just finished reading Expecting Adam and it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Very heartfelt and very poignant. It is a memoir of Martha Beck, a Harvard grad with 3 degrees from the Ivy League school. The book tells of the time in her life when she and her husband were pregnant with their second child who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. The book chronicles her pregnancy and how it changed her life and that of her husband.
Here is an excerpt that spoke to me tremendously and hits very close to home especially at this point in motherhood.
"One of the great myths of our society is that when women are left with small children, they are not alone. The truth is that a mother left with babies is far more alone than she would be without them; every bit of energy, attention, protectiveness, and care she might use to meet her own needs must first be directed toward the needs of her children. That's why the Bible alwasy laments teh fate of 'those who are with child and those who give suck' in the middle of war and disaster. The authors of the Good Book knew perfectly well that a woman alone can run, fight or hide, but a woman with babies is toast."
-Martha Beck, Expecting Adam
I read this book in about 4 days, it is so good. I highly recommend it.
1 comment:
I just finished this book yesterday. What a pleasure to read. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my doctor told me that based on a blood test, there was a chance that I could have a child with Down's Syndrome. I was quickly scheduled for a high-tech sonogram and an amniocentisis. The days in-between were terrifying. I understood Beck's pain, but only to a minor extent, as my daughter does not have Down's Syndrome. This book certainly makes you more compassionate to those who do have Down's Syndome children, though. I applaud her decisions.
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