www.gailperryjohnston.com
Wish-and-wonder
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.
Author Gail Perry Johnston brings parents a new book on this matter. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
This book can be purchased on-line or through local book sellers.
