Baby Dust: A Novel about Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss
by Deanna Roy

The five women sitting in the circle of chairs all had great dreams of motherhood.

Then their babies died.

Melinda sees blood on the floor every day after her loss. Dot believes the wrath of God caused her baby to die. Teenage Tina is trolling internet dating sites for a father for another baby, and Janet’s failure to cry means her wedding is off. Stella, the support group leader, must help them while facing the old choices that cost her ever having a family of her own.

Based on the stories of dozens of real survivors, Baby Dust is a moving tribute to the strength of mothers who must endure this impossible loss.

Paperback copies
Barnes and Noble   Amazon  Amazon UK   Signed copy through the publisher

Ebooks
Kindle or Kindle UK   Nook   Goodreads   Smashwords   Kobo

In the Company of Angels: A Memorial Book

In 2009, 11 years after losing Casey Shay, Deanna decided that she’d gone long enough without having a baby book to fill out for her first baby, and to write down her memories of her pregnancy. So she made one herself and got it published. It is a 40-page full-color hardcover book filled with images of angels and space to tell about your baby’s pregnancy. Every single baby or child she photographed as angels in the book has a story, as all of them had a brother or sister lost to miscarriage. This company of angels are there to guide you through the process of telling your angel’s life story, and to remind us that we mothers are the ones who carry so much hope in this world.

The video about the book is on the left side of the page. To order your own copy, visit the publisher’s page. You will also get a set of Baby Love Notes, little angel cards to use in the book if you have no sonograms or other images (although pages can be removed) or to use as a card for a grieving friend. If you have questions about this book, feel free to email the publisher. They have discounts for book stores that want to carry it and nonprofits who want to give copies to bereaved parents.

You can also buy this book at Amazon if you prefer.

The Sperm Meets Egg Plan,

Read an expanded version of the Deanna’s Sperm Meets Egg Plan, including sections for moms over 40, couples with fertility issues, and trying after a loss. It’s free!

Download at iTunes for iPads or iPhones.

Download at Barnes & Noble for the Nook.

Download at Amazon for Kindle

Download at Smashwords for your computer, smart phone, Kindle, Nook, or other eReaders.

Download at Kobo for international eReaders.

Download at Sony if that is your reader.

Davis, Deborah L. Empty Cradle, Broken Heart. Golden, Colorado: Fulcrum Publishing, 1999 revised edition.

This is the book John and I read in the car in the weeks following our first loss. It takes you through every step of the grieving process, including moving on and trying for your next baby. It includes a solid section on what to expect both physically and mentally after a miscarriage or neonatal death. This book helped us a lot when we worked through it as a couple. Click here for more information.

Weschler, Toni. Taking Charge of Your Fertility. New York: Harper Perennial, 2006.

This book is a MUST HAVE if you are trying to get pregnant. For the first time in my life, I finally understood what all my discharges were about, how to truly interpret my temperatures, and all those fine details that mom, doctors, and pamphlets enclosed with products never explained. This book will definitely help you get pregnant faster, or clue you in quicker if you have an infertility problem that needs medical attention. A life saver. Click here for more information.

Friedman, Lynn, M.D. and Irene Daria. Miscarriage: A Woman Doctor’s Guide. New York: Kensington Health: 2001.

A very quick reading book that concisely covers the causes of miscarriage and the treatments for those causes that can be identified. The emotional side of miscarriage is only glossed over, so this book is for the woman looking for hard facts. One of the better features of the book is a section with three very well written women’s stories in complete detail, which is much more helpful than little sound bites from women that most books have. Click here for more information.

Eisenberg, Arlene, Murkoff, Heidi, and Hathaway, Sandee. What to Expect When You’re Expecting.New York: Workman Publishing, 1996. This is the classic book all pregnant women should own. Ask your doctor if he/she will provide you a copy before you buy one.  Click here for more information.

Cirulli Lanham, Carol. Pregnancy after a Loss. New York: Berkley Books, 1999. While this books is very popular and would probably be helpful to someone really worried about the emotional aspects of trying again, I didn’t put it on my recommended book list for several reasons. I found it a little trying to harp on every little detail surrounding trying again, and the section on miscarriage causes was woefully short. This will take you slowly and in fine detail through each step of another pregnancy, but I think most women find that once the first few weeks are through, they want to focus on the new baby and not so much the scare. I’m not sure this book would help you enjoy a new pregnancy, and might keep you stuck in a mode where you don’t feel like a normal pregnant women. I believe that while you will have nagging doubts throughout a pregnancy after a loss, you do want to move on eventually and are better served if you can do that. Click here for more information.

Children’s Books

We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel Instead by Pat Schwiebert.  A sweet children’s book that helps both parents and siblings understand about the loss of the baby that was in mommy’s tummy. Click here for more information. You can also watch a sweet video of a little boy reading the book out loud.

Something Happened: A book for children and parents who have experienced pregnancy loss.