Miscarriage Mom: The Unspoken Realities of Miscarriage and How to Cope

By Kristy Parisi

Miscarriage Mom is a must read for anyone who has lost a child through miscarriage. Having experienced six miscarriages, author Kristy Parisi understands the pain and grief of losing an unborn child. Packed with compelling personal stories and actionable advice, Miscarriage Mom offers heartfelt insight into the unforeseen realities surrounding miscarriage and suggests ways to cope.

Miscarriage Mom openly addresses the emotions, reactions, and experiences to be expected after a miscarriage. Honoring your unborn baby, returning to work, and dealing with others’ reactions are just a few of the many topics addressed. With a genuine desire to help, Kristy wrote Miscarriage Mom for any woman who has suffered the pain and devastation of miscarriage. Including a special man-to-man talk written by Kristy’s husband, Vincent, Miscarriage Mom gives readers a clear look into what to expect now that you’re not expecting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504971249

Kristy Parisi

Having personally experienced six miscarriages, Kristy Parisi understands the pain and grief of losing an unborn child. She and her husband, Vincent, have been married for ten years, spending the majority of those years trying to start a family. Both Kristy and Vincent are former professional athletes who met while playing baseball/softball in Italy. Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Kristy now resides in Tampa, Florida, where Vincent grew up. She holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from National Louis University.

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© 2016 Kristy Parisi. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/30/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7126-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7125-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7124-9 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction My Story

Chapter 1 What to Expect Emotionally

Chapter 2 Facing the World Again

Chapter 3 Getting Back to You

Chapter 4 A Man-to-Man Talk for Husbands

Chapter 5 How the Five Stages of Grief Apply to Your Miscarriage

Chapter 6 Due Dates and Holidays

Chapter 7 Five Ways to Honor Your Baby

About the Author

To everyone who has lost a baby through miscarriage: may this book bring you comfort and hope in your time of need.

Acknowledgments

To my husband, Vinny: Words can’t express my gratitude for your continuous support and unconditional love. Thank you for always being my rock, my shoulder to cry on, and my reminder that all is not lost. Your ability to look on the bright side in our darkest moments is truly inspirational.

Mum and Dad, thank you for all your love and support. Your e-mails and calls meant more to me than I ever expressed.

Anita, thank you for listening and for never judging my erratic thinking during times of grief. I am blessed to have had you as a friend for the past twenty-three years. I miss you every day.

To Rebecca, my deepest sympathy for the loss of your angel babies. They are never forgotten. Thank you for understanding me when no one else did.

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Parisi, for all your love and support over the years. I could not have been blessed with more loving in-laws.

Introduction

My Story

This book is in your hands for a very good reason. Whether you’ve recently lost a child or someone special to you has lost a child, my hope is that the words and ideas contained here help you find comfort in your loss. Before I can give you advice on how and what you should or could be doing, it’s essential that you know a little something about me so that you know my words are genuine and are coming from someone who has experienced the same kind of heartache.

I have just recently celebrated ten years of marriage and my thirty-fourth birthday. My husband and I are what would seem from the outside a fit and healthy young couple. We met while we were both at the peak of our athletic careers. I was a professional softball player; Vinny was a professional baseball player. We were both living in Italy, playing ball, at the time we met.

I had always considered myself healthy and athletic. By no means would I have predicted that I, of all women, would have trouble conceiving and carrying a child to full term. I ate well, I worked out daily, and I was happy and in love. In reality, I was just a normal Aussie chick with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and an accent that causes confusion because it reflects both my Australian heritage and my American life.

I never thought in a million years I would be writing a book on this topic. We all like to think that it’s never going to happen to us. And then it does. I lost six babies over a five-year-period through miscarriage.

We started trying to have children when I was twenty-seven. Just three months after going off the contraceptive pill, I fell pregnant. We were ecstatic. I had a positive pregnancy test