Miscarried Hope: Journeying with Jesus through Pregnancy and Infant Loss

This book is a must have for anyone who has experienced infant or pregnancy loss, regardless of whether they have recently experienced loss or it’s been years, and for any friend or family who has someone close to them that went through this type of loss. This Christmas, it will be 5 years since miscarrying twins at 12 weeks. I wish I had a resource like this book 5 years ago. However, even 5 years after loss, this book spoke to me in ways I didn’t even know I needed. There is nothing like this book. It is written so beautifully with such tenderness. Rachel does a wonderful job of speaking truth to us loss mamas. Speaking against what society often tells us. Despite miscarriage happening to 1 in 4, there are not enough resources for those going through miscarriage. Society has conditioned us to not only sit in silence, grieve alone, and often experience shame, but it has also conditioned others on the outside to step back, feeling uncomfortable and not having tools to support those going through this type of loss and grief. Rachel is paving the way for change, so that loss mamas no longer have to feel alone and isolated in their experience, but also so that family and friends can have resources, tools and a deeper understanding of this type of loss so that they can better support their loved ones that may be going through this.For loss moms, this book reads as if Rachel is sitting right next to you, holding your hold, speaking truth into you, and comforting you through your journey of grief and trying to find hope again. The book portrayed such a beautiful parallel of the progression of Holy Week and pregnancy and infant loss, something I never thought to compare my experience and grief to. And while much of the book does parallel between the grief and hope, or loss of hope, we may experience as loss moms and what scriptures say in relation to the week leading up to the crucifixion, Jesus' ultimate sacrifice of death (Good Friday), and His resurrection (Easter), I truly believe this book would be such a blessing to any mom that has experienced loss, or any friend or family member that may know someone who has experienced loss - regardless of what your belief in Jesus Christ is.I am so incredibly grateful for Rachel, for her heart for those who have miscarried hope through the loss of their baby, and for this book. As a MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) coordinator where I help run a community of 70-90 moms every week, this will absolutely be a resource that I will have on hand to give to mothers in need. The impact that it has already had on me, has been such an unexpected blessing and while there is so much more that I can say about this book, I will leave it with this - buy the book. Buy it regardless of whether you have experienced loss or not because you never know who may be suffering in silence, who you may encounter, which friend or family member may unfortunately experience this type of loss down the road. This is an absolutely beautiful, heartfelt, tender resource that truly can remind moms that there will be hope again.

As someone who has not personally experienced miscarriage or infant loss, this book has been so enlightening and has given me so much empathy for the many moms I meet who have experienced such heartbreaking loss. As a Pastor’s wife, this book has been such a great resource to direct loss moms to. Those I have recommended this book to have found so much healing through Rachel’s heart and prayerfully written words. Through this book, Rachel validates and put words to experience loss moms go through but also beautifully offers the hope we have amidst the sting of grief. This book has helped me even through my own kind of loss and grief. I highly recommend this book to anyone grieving and looking for hope!

This book was so healing in that it gave a name to my grief in such an articulate and relatable way. You never want others to know this pain, but reading the raw accounts of others can be so cathartic. It’s hard to know what good can be found in this type of grief while we’re this side of heaven, but Rachel does a beautiful job of relating to those of us in the pit, then pointing us back to the hope we have in Jesus. Planning to read it a second time before asking my husband to read it!

From the first page to the last page, this book is a great read! It it’s a blessing and reminder from one mama that is using her story to help other mama’s heal, and remain hopeful.

I’ll start by saying I am not the target audience for this book. In fact, I read it mostly out of curiosity since I knew Rachel as a former neighbor and classmate. But the great thing about this book is that there are important messages and takeaways for everyone, even if you are not a loss mom yourself.1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. And despite this startling statistic, many people are simply unaware of the heartache so many women and families live with because society has conditioned loss moms to not share their painful stories as the unique circumstances of their grief makes us feel uncomfortable. In writing this book, speaking to her own experience, Rachel is doing her part to end the stigma, shed a light on the pain loss moms often feel, and act as a guide, meeting others where they are along their journey through grief and hope.Rachel’s voice comes through very clearly as she guides readers deftly through her own experience and journey through grief and hope. She acts as an empathetic friend, allowing you to feel however you feel, even if your thoughts at the time seem unspeakable. Much of Rachel’s writing comes off as a sermon, drawing parallels between the journey through grief and hope with readings and lessons from scripture. But please, even if you do not identify as Christian, I welcome you to turn these pages for their guidance and helpful insights even for those of us non-loss moms.To Rachel, if you’re reading these words, I’m sorry. Deeply sorry. Sorry for the death of your first child. Sorry for the grief and pain you had and continue to go through and the scars it has left. But also, sorry for the lack of understanding and insufficient care our society has given you and countless other loss moms when you needed it the most. May this book bring hope to others in their journeys and more understanding for the rest of us to be better friends in their time of need.