Honoring the "Gift of Giving Life" a new LDS book

\ This book review  is a stop on the Virtual Book Tour for The Gift of Giving Life.  

I heard about this book as I was going through my own birth journey last year. For those that don't know, in October I gave birth to my third baby via VBA2C (Vaginal Birth After Two Cesareans) even after an inverted T incision. We felt the Lord's hand in making this decision and what a blessing it has been to us.

I know Robyn, one of the writers, from ICAN and she was actually a part of my VBAC journey. Ever since I heard about "The Gift of Giving Life," I think I've been a cheerleader for them. I've been telling all of my friends and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I finally got mine in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised at how big it was! Over 5oo pages!

As I sat and pored over the words while holding my sweet little one, I had to wipe the tears of off my cheeks. As I read, my testimony was reaffirmed that we are guided and watched over as we help to deliver God's precious children. I rejoiced as I read stories similar to my own as women sometimes made choices that were unconventional and not the cultural or social norm. But they trusted in their intuition to honor what the Lord had in store for them.

It even met my expectations in that it covered just about every issue I hoped it would. I would say, for example, "I wish this had a section on VBAC," and then I would find it in the next chapter. That happened many times. I can't believe the diversity of topics covered. The book contains a great variety of birth knowledge, science, research, LDS quotes, scriptures, guide to meditation, thoughts on creating a spiritual baby shower, healing and forgiveness, beautifully written histories of LDS women, testimonies of Jesus Christ and the Atonement, and of course many personal stories of courage and triumph. "The Gift of Giving Life" can validate women no matter what birth choices she makes or has made, and increase her feeling of closeness to other women, both living and passed on.

This is not just a book about pregnancy and childbirth- though it is certainly is about that. In a world where women's divine and sacred powers are frustrated and belittled, this book brings hope and empowerment. In a world that teaches us to rely on the "arm of flesh" this book helps bring back our trust in Heavenly Father. As I read about the Lord's hand in the stories and essays, I realized that Heavenly Father is there- not just through our birth journeys- but throughout all of motherhood, to help and deliver us in a wide variety of circumstances. This is a knowledge that every woman can benefit from.

There was an underlying message throughout all of the pages of this book. And the message that spoke to me, was faith. Faith in our divinely designed bodies. Faith in the precious spirits that we help to nurture and bring to this earth. Faith in the deeply spiritual and symbolic process of childbirth itself. And most importantly, faith in our Heavenly Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ. And faith that when we are acting as a co-creator with God, we will never be alone.


Thank you to the wonderful and amazing women that wrote this book. It truly is a gift.

My friend Shannon, expecting her fifth little girl.

Visit The Gift of Giving Life site to sign up for their newsletter and to receive a free Meditation MP3 as well as tips to help increase spirituality in your pregnancy and birth.  

For my readers I have a coupon code for 10% off a copy of The Gift of Giving Life. 
  
Click here and after you add the book to your cart use this coupon code. GWFWXR3F 
This code is good until Father’s Day 2012.