Free to Grieve: Healing and Encouragementfor Those Who Have Suffered Miscarriageand Stillbirth

This book is written from a Christian perspective, but it isn't so "preachy" that people of other faiths or beliefs couldn't benefit from it. The book holds a special place in my heart since it helped me grieve myself, and I have given it out to friends and relatives and recommended it to patients. I have gotten much positive feedback from the recipients. One of the main strengths of this book is that it deals very well with the issue of early pregnancy loss, as well as late-term and infant death. Other books sometimes give early miscarriage little to no attention, and in my own experience, until I found this book, I didn't feel validated or supported about the issues of my early losses. This book makes it clear that no matter the stage of pregnancy, it is ok and right to grieve about your loss. It helps clear up myths about pregnancy loss, and also helps deal with issues that can interfere with normal, necessary grieving processes. I have read similar books, and got some help from them, but some of them were so focused on telling the story of someone else and how they dealt with their loss that they made me feel even worse. This book is set up into fairly short chapters, with titles, and it makes it easy to pick and choose what you want to read so you can skip chapters that you don't feel apply to you. I can't say enough about this invaluable book. I personally am very grateful to the author for writing this very helpful book and I try to keep at least one copy on hand to give out to people who are going through pregnancy loss. It can be a little difficult to find this book in bookstores, and it is one that is sometimes needed unexpectedly, so it is worth it to me to have one available just in case I want to reach out to help someone going through what I did.

After loosing my first baby to miscarriage recently I borrowed this book and I hightly recommend it to anyone in a similar situation. Society tends to underestimate the emotional devistation and grief experienced after the loss of a baby to miscarriage or stillbirth. The author confirms and explains why in fact we are "FREE TO GRIEVE".

Maureen Rank, in this book, becomes that friend from whom you long to hear just the right words (which is rare in times of deep pain and loss). I highly recommend her book--it's at the TOP of my list for anyone who has miscarried. Sandra Glahn, When Empty Arms Become a Heavy Burden & The Infertility Companion

Finding this book allowed me to find myself again. When you lose a child, there's really nothing anyone can say to ease your pain. And yet this book says so much that can help you navigate the emotional mixmaster that is miscarriage. I will never be able to thank the friend who gave it to me enough.

It has been 8 1/2 years since losing my 2-day-old daughter, and almost as long since reading this book. However, I remember how much it helped me in the grieving process. It's important to know that when you miscarry or have a stillbirth, it is absolutely alright to grieve over that loss. This book helped me to realize that. It is a wonderful book that deals with alot of different aspects of the grieving process...not only your own grief, but the responses of others around you. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has experienced such a loss!