A Catholic Mothers Companion to Pregnancy

I had the honor to review a book titled A Catholic Mothers Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism by Sarah Reinhard. It is set to be published on September 24th.

You may be asking why I would want to review such a book considering that I am not pregnant (at least that I know of) and I don't have any children. Well, the hubby and I have stopped actively avoiding pregnancy (a term NFP couples use) about 5 months ago, and I just want to make sure that I am spiritually and mentally prepared when God decides to grace us with life.

I want to make one thing perfectly clear, I am actually going through a phase where I am afraid to have children. Weird, right? The perception is that Catholic women who actively practice their faith must do nothing but dream of having tons of kids. Not me. Now that the hubby and I are waiting for God to 'plant the seed' I all of a sudden developed this fear of becoming pregnant and raising a child. I know that this fear is 100% selfish. I am afraid that all of my 'me' time will be taken from me and I will no longer be able to do what I want and spend time with my husband. Selfish, I know! Reinhard's book actually helped put some of my fears to rest.

Coming from a woman who does not yet have any children, this book was a little difficult to read, but I recognized the fact that this book is geared to those who are expecting. It is also a book that is not meant to be read in one sitting. This is a meditative, prayerful book that guides you through your pregnancy using the Holy Mother as your guide. It is chock-full of meditations, prayers, tips for the hard things that may come up, advice on how to keep your life Christ-centered (even though you may feel nauseous 100% of the time), and it also describes some of the changes that your and your baby's body is going through.

The thing that I loved most about this book is that it included personal stories of the fears and hopes that expecting mothers had during their pregnancy. It made me realize that this selfish fear that I am feeling right now is actually normal. When we become pregnant, our lives change, and many people do not like change...at least at first.

"There are some surprises that are more pleasant than others. I find pregnancy to be, often, a love-hate sort of surprise. It's always a surprise of sorts, and while I am thrilled (and terrified) to welcome new life, I am often (sadly) inconvenienced."

I love the fact that this book is honest! This is not a book that will tell you being pregnant will make you feel happy 100% of the time and that there is nothing to fear. This book did not hide the negativity that sometimes comes with pregnancy, planned or not. This made me think that my pre-pregnancy fears are actually normal.

I am looking forward to the time when God does grace us with life and I will actually get the full benefit this book is meant to provide. I will be using this guide during my pregnancy so that I can keep my life centered on Christ through his Holy Mother.

Thank you for such a great resource!