Empty Cradle, Broken Heart: Surviving the Death of Your Baby

I loved this book! Even though I cried through much of it, it served a useful purpose. After never wanting to have children, I had a revelation that I needed to experience the joys of motherhood. I recently had a miscarriage with my first and much wanted pregnancy. I was a mess. This book helped me get over some of the loss I felt. I still feel sad often but realize that I'm not supposed to "Just get over it, already!" The book was honest, sad, hopeful, real, and made me totally feel like I was not alone in my grief. I am hopeful and anxious to finish this book by reading the chapters about trying again, coping with a subsequent pregnancy and birth, and the other chapters I know one day I will read when I feel ready to embark on the scary but exciting journey of pregnancy. I also feel compelled to share this with anyone who has gone through the death of a child. Thank you Deborah Davis, Ph.D. for the gift of this book!

Out of the dozens of books I read after losing my daughter prematurely, this was the one book that i couldn't put down till it was finished. It was so helpful to me and to my husband. It was nice reading other people's experiences too. I found this book so helpful that i will be donating copies to the hospital where our daughter was born so other grieving parents can have a copy of their own. It's a wonderful book...

Empty Cradle, Broken Heart is an excellent resource for bereaved parents. Debra Davis takes parents step by step through the grieving process and helps them to realize that they are not alone in their pain. Reading Empty Cradle, Broken Heart helped me to recognize that my feelings were not strange and that it is okay to grieve for my daughter in my own way and in my own time. Chapters include: grieving and emotional recovery, painful feelings, affirming your baby, you and your partner, your family, and support networks. Debra encourages parents to realize that they did the best that they could for their baby. When you feel that no one understands the pain you are going through, read this book, it helps.

before I read Empty Cradle, Broken Heart, I didn't think that I could ever lose any of the heaviness that enclosed my heart. I felt as if I gained membership into a private club and I could take comfort in knowing that I wasn't alone. It was the first time that I had a sane thought after losing our daughter Kara Jane Kaniewski - April 24, 1997. I still take out the book and reread passages that I have read over and over. The book still helps to relieve my heavy heart. I have given this book to 3 other women who have lost their children and each one has thanked me. Unfortunately the cost to get into this book club is priceless, for you have to have lost a child or known someone who has to gain admission. I want to thank Deborah L. Davis for her gift to me and my friends, for I would have surely been killed by the heaviness of my heart and the emptiness of my arms. Please read this book if you have experienced the loss of a child. You are not alone.

After giving birth to my son and having him die 10 days later, I was so confused as to what I was supposed to be feeling. "Empty Cradle, Broken Heart" helped me to understand what I was feeling and made me realize that I was not alone, and that what I was feeling was normal. By using quotes from bereaved parents, the reader realizes that they are not alone in their thoughts. It encourages the reader to examine how they feel and accept their grief. This book helped me through the saddest and most difficult period of my life. A copy of the book was lent to me, and I was so impressed by it that I am purchasing my own copy to refer back to it later in my life. An excellent gift idea for a close friend or relative who is going through a similar situatation, or read it yourself to understand how that person is feeling.