The Phantom Father: The man’s side of baby loss and facing up to a future without fatherhood

by Richard Ellis

What does a man go through when a couple lose a baby? How do repeated failed pregnancies impact on his paternal instinct? How does he face up to the possibility that he might never become a father? After years of trying for a baby, Richard Ellis and his partner lost three babies in three years. As well as honestly documenting the highs and lows of this period, having always assumed he’d be a father, he also gives a frank account of his creeping fear that it might never happen. Baby loss occurs every day but it remains a deeply taboo topic, particularly amongst men. Losing a pregnancy and frustrated fatherhood are subjects that remain so private that we barely ever discuss them. For those who go through it, the whole issue can seem like the great untouchable topic of our gender. The Phantom Father strives to give a voice to this silent army of wannabe Dads and to encourage more understanding of this shared but unspoken experience.

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2019

About the author

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