What Now: An Honest Guide to Miscarriage, Baby Loss, Parenting, Mental Health and Rebuilding Your Identity

by Clara Wilcox

Happy ending…I spent my twenties laughing at that phrase, whilst simultaneously doing everything I could to not get pregnant. Then, when two out of four of my planned pregnancies didn’t end happily…well, let’s just take a sec to congratulate irony on being the smart-ass it is. So, if with a heavy heart, you’ve just smiled at that – then I know you know. And you know you’re ready for this. “What Now?” is the unapologetically raw and refreshingly amusing story of my family’s fight and twelve other heroic parents’ fight through loss, grief, mental health and life after the loss of a child. Intended to comfort rather than instruct, it’s the book I needed to read when we lost our babies, and the book you might need to read to regain the life of love, hope and happy ever laughter after losing yours. Raising money for Bereavement Charity, Edward’s Trust, this book is for anyone struggling to live their life after being touched by miscarriage, still birth and late loss; for mums, dads, grandparents, siblings, and friends, it is an uplifting and honest account, that answers all the questions you may have about life after loss. The book’s uniqueness is the inclusion of other family members and the discussion points you can have to maintain strong communication bonds after a traumatic loss. Reader Feedback “The strength of this book and the advice given is so important to other parents experiencing similar loss and bereavement. Clara gives an honest insight to the difficult reality and how to reduce isolation when grieving for the loss of a precious baby. The human body isn’t designed to bury their own child, yet we can walk on similar paths with others experiencing similar feelings of heartbreak and devastation, and this does help us to live with our grief, as opposed to our grief taking over our lives. The heartbreak will always be there but we rebuild our lives around it to provide optimism for those days ahead. Most definitely a support manual to give hope for the future.” “Edward’s Trust is a bereavement charity that supports children and families surviving loss and facing bereavement. We pride ourselves on our work with children that are bereaved of a parent/sibling and the work we do to support parents that are facing the devastating loss of losing a child. Bereavement support, although it is offered to everyone, it is not suited to all our bereaved parents. Grief is very unique and individual, and it takes brave steps to make that phone call or approach Edward’s Trust. Having a guide like Clara’s to help you through the unimaginable; the loss of a baby or child is vital in order to find hope for the future. This is an empowering read, which should be accessible to all those who are coming to terms with such a life-changing experience. Clara’s account touches the hearts of many and allows for re-evaluation of life after loss.” What Now?’ is an honest and generous account of the some of the less talked about aspects of losing a child. A reminder that there are no rules on how you should think, feel or behave as well as some solid advice on practical matters. Catherine MacLennan; Founder The Pinks N Blues “For me what makes this book stand out is the personal experiences of Baby Loss, hearing first-hand accounts from Scott (husband) and Grace (daughter) often forgotten in the Baby Loss world. I will certainly be recommending in my work as a practical resource that can be dipped in and out of when needed. “ “Absolutely flipping awesome.

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2018

Reviews

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clara tackles this sensitive subject with honesty and humour, making this book such an important read for grieving parents. It’s not twee or sentimental which is one of its biggest strengths, I imagine that endless platitudes are the last thing grieving parents want to hear and there’s none of that here.

Including the stories of others was a great idea; baby loss comes in different ways as can how people deal with it.

Clara has written a great book about a difficult and sadly, taboo, subject and it’s one that can be dipped in and out of when when needed.

[Wendy Gillett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you’ve been touched by baby loss or not - a must read

A well thought out account of one families story and how they coped with not just one baby lost. Fully researched and highlighting a lack of support for a most common source of grief found in family life. Highly recommend this book to anyone who has been affected by baby loss directly or indirectly because it’s reach is far and wide.