I haven’t reread it but I think about it often. Afterbirth by Elisa Albert remains to me one of the best books about pregnancy post pregnancy. Eliza Minot also put out a book recently called Orchard but I couldn’t quite get into it. And then there was another book that caused a stir where it was just a lone woman giving birth but I can’t remember the name of it and when I started it I put it back down. There is something so private about birth right. I found there to be so much shame in my unscheduled and unplanned c-section for a while I felt so unwomaned. I’ve mostly gotten over it. However I recently got triggered reading a birth story about breach delivery and found myself thinking about the absolute lack of care and community that surrounds so many births here. This person was able to give birth because she was supported and cared for. Pregnancy, a gap that sure needs filling in the literary world.
Thank you for these contributions. In the Orchard has been on my TBR for a while — I met Eliza while I was pregnant with my daughter and the baby in the book had the name I wanted to give her so I felt I couldn’t read it for strange superstitious reasons?! I thought it was more about postpartum/newborn life than pregnancy itself.
It might be! I think you’re right she has just given birth when the book starts. So scratch that as a pregnancy novel! I was realizing after I wrote the comment that it’s true - there are almost no books about being pregnant itself. I just ordered Molly’s zine.
And also congratulations!!!
I haven’t reread it but I think about it often. Afterbirth by Elisa Albert remains to me one of the best books about pregnancy post pregnancy. Eliza Minot also put out a book recently called Orchard but I couldn’t quite get into it. And then there was another book that caused a stir where it was just a lone woman giving birth but I can’t remember the name of it and when I started it I put it back down. There is something so private about birth right. I found there to be so much shame in my unscheduled and unplanned c-section for a while I felt so unwomaned. I’ve mostly gotten over it. However I recently got triggered reading a birth story about breach delivery and found myself thinking about the absolute lack of care and community that surrounds so many births here. This person was able to give birth because she was supported and cared for. Pregnancy, a gap that sure needs filling in the literary world.
Thank you for these contributions. In the Orchard has been on my TBR for a while — I met Eliza while I was pregnant with my daughter and the baby in the book had the name I wanted to give her so I felt I couldn’t read it for strange superstitious reasons?! I thought it was more about postpartum/newborn life than pregnancy itself.
It might be! I think you’re right she has just given birth when the book starts. So scratch that as a pregnancy novel! I was realizing after I wrote the comment that it’s true - there are almost no books about being pregnant itself. I just ordered Molly’s zine.