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One Pound, Twelve Ounces
Melissa Harris’s dream of being a mother again shatters when a fertility doctor tells her she may never have another child due to a physical anomaly in her uterus. Determined to persevere, she undergoes nine surgeries and a year of fertility treatments until she finally gets a positive pregnancy test—only to miscarry both twins within the first fifteen weeks.
When what she’s decided will be her last attempt results in her finally becoming pregnant, she’s told that this baby, Sam, is also at risk. While lying in a hospital bed for six days, trying to get to the golden standard twenty-four-week gestation mark, Melissa makes a decision—she will give this baby every chance to live, no matter what it takes.
One Pound, Twelve Ounces is the journey of one mother’s determination to give her micro-preemie a fighting chance, and the story of that baby’s remarkable battle to survive.
When what she’s decided will be her last attempt results in her finally becoming pregnant, she’s told that this baby, Sam, is also at risk. While lying in a hospital bed for six days, trying to get to the golden standard twenty-four-week gestation mark, Melissa makes a decision—she will give this baby every chance to live, no matter what it takes.
One Pound, Twelve Ounces is the journey of one mother’s determination to give her micro-preemie a fighting chance, and the story of that baby’s remarkable battle to survive.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
280 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2021
62 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 9, 2021
This is a Non-Fiction book. This book is all about Melissa's journey of fertility, pregnancy loss, hard pregnancy, and NICU Mom. Melissa's story touched my heart, and it shine the light on some hard topics a lot people do not understand. I went through fertility treatments to get pregnant both times I was pregnant. All my kids stayed in the NICU, and let me say the NICU is a battle field of its own. I still remember the highs and the lows of when my twin boys who where 29 weekers was in the NICU. I am so glad I picked up this book because it helped me looked back at that time and now I can look at my two almost 8 year old twin boys that make me smile everyday. This book was so will written, and I think it shows the stress and the ups and downs of the NICU so well. Great Book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (SheWritesPress) or author (Melissa Harris) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
November 2, 2021
Gripping, heartwarming, fascinating story of the preemie world
I loved everything about this story and how it was written – the persistence of Melissa Harris to have and then save this micro-premature child, the page-turning aspect of the story, the writing, which brought me to tears and heart-beating along with Melissa, and the structure of the book, which had just enough backstory to know what the stakes were, and enough detail during the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) period to feel the roller coaster along with Melissa. It delivers the satisfying arc of a gripping novel, along with the warm feelings and investment in the author’s journey, knowing that this really happened. The Love, Hope, and Triumph in the title are alive in each step of this book.
I loved everything about this story and how it was written – the persistence of Melissa Harris to have and then save this micro-premature child, the page-turning aspect of the story, the writing, which brought me to tears and heart-beating along with Melissa, and the structure of the book, which had just enough backstory to know what the stakes were, and enough detail during the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) period to feel the roller coaster along with Melissa. It delivers the satisfying arc of a gripping novel, along with the warm feelings and investment in the author’s journey, knowing that this really happened. The Love, Hope, and Triumph in the title are alive in each step of this book.
October 22, 2021
I decided to pick this book from Netgalley after the title caught my eye. 35 years ago I was born at 27 weeks and weighed only One pound 13 ounces, so this story was about a baby born weighing about the same as me all those years ago. I wanted to read this to get an insight into what my parents went through.
This book was harrowing but a very good read, very descriptive and the Melissa explained all about her previous pregnancies and their issues, and how she felt at having a baby born so early after previous losses. This lady is so brave, and what she and her family went through must have been difficult, and I can only imagine how it was for my family all those years ago when medical advances were not so great.
I enjoyed reading this book even though it was difficult in places.
Thank you to @Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
#NetGalley #OnePoundTwelveOunces
This book was harrowing but a very good read, very descriptive and the Melissa explained all about her previous pregnancies and their issues, and how she felt at having a baby born so early after previous losses. This lady is so brave, and what she and her family went through must have been difficult, and I can only imagine how it was for my family all those years ago when medical advances were not so great.
I enjoyed reading this book even though it was difficult in places.
Thank you to @Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
#NetGalley #OnePoundTwelveOunces
November 9, 2021
As the mother of a child who spent the first ten days of his life in a NICU, I cried, held my breath, and cheered out loud for Sam, Melissa Harris’s one pound, twelve ounce micro preemie miracle as he weathered the ups and downs and catastrophes that encompassed the first 95 days of his life.
And I fell in love with Sam, this strong, feisty and stubborn boy, and with the beautiful writing of his equally strong mother.
The author has perfectly captured life in the NICU, where you hold your breath for every life-threatening event averted, for every quarter of an ounce gained, for every breath your baby takes on his own.
I recommend this deeply moving and hopeful book to all readers, but especially to those who’ve had to view their baby through an isolette in a NICU. Harris pulls no punches in documenting her terrifying but ultimately triumphant journey. Such a satisfying read!
And I fell in love with Sam, this strong, feisty and stubborn boy, and with the beautiful writing of his equally strong mother.
The author has perfectly captured life in the NICU, where you hold your breath for every life-threatening event averted, for every quarter of an ounce gained, for every breath your baby takes on his own.
I recommend this deeply moving and hopeful book to all readers, but especially to those who’ve had to view their baby through an isolette in a NICU. Harris pulls no punches in documenting her terrifying but ultimately triumphant journey. Such a satisfying read!
November 8, 2021
One Pound, Twelve Ounces
After a challenging backstory of miscarriages, surgeries and setbacks, the author brings her preemie son to life after a prolonged journey of ups and downs. The frequent moments of life and death decisions and NICU experience is told in extraordinary detail. Family supports, but most of all a mother’s commitment and persistence stand out in this story. Well written, it reflects the emotionally charged days in this family’s life. Highly recommended.
After a challenging backstory of miscarriages, surgeries and setbacks, the author brings her preemie son to life after a prolonged journey of ups and downs. The frequent moments of life and death decisions and NICU experience is told in extraordinary detail. Family supports, but most of all a mother’s commitment and persistence stand out in this story. Well written, it reflects the emotionally charged days in this family’s life. Highly recommended.
November 2, 2021
Starting life in the NICU has become an all-too familiar story for my family. All three of my granddaughters were born prematurely due to unusual pregnancy complications. Like Melissa's son Sam, the third one was a micro-preemie who spent over 80 days in the NICU. The journey is truly full of ups and downs as the author so accurately related in this memoir. Thanks so much to NetGalley and She Writes Press for an advance copy to read and review.
June 2, 2022
This book is about a mom's journey to help her baby survive. After a normal and easy pregnancy, the second one was more difficult. It included nine surgeries, a twin miscarriage, and then almost losing the baby but having to lie in a hospital at a thirty-degree angle for six days to try to get the baby to the point where he could survive. The miracle workers who are nurses there and everybody taking care of these tiny, little babies-- make you think about life in a new way.
There was one line when the author had her whole mama bear act and wrote, "When Peter came back, I told him my goals.
'I know we will get to the twenty-four-week mark, but I've decided I'm not going to have this baby until I am thirty weeks pregnant.'
'Um, Melissa, you know you don't know that. No, you don't know that,' Peter responded.
'Like hell, I don't. I will not have this baby yet,' I angry-cried at Peter.
He decided the safest thing was to let me believe that I had total control over things."
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/mel...
There was one line when the author had her whole mama bear act and wrote, "When Peter came back, I told him my goals.
'I know we will get to the twenty-four-week mark, but I've decided I'm not going to have this baby until I am thirty weeks pregnant.'
'Um, Melissa, you know you don't know that. No, you don't know that,' Peter responded.
'Like hell, I don't. I will not have this baby yet,' I angry-cried at Peter.
He decided the safest thing was to let me believe that I had total control over things."
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/mel...
October 18, 2021
Honest telling: determination and devotion of a mother's love
I recently read Melissa Harris's guest blog at Booksbywomen.org about how writing helped her process the trauma of giving birth to her son when he was only 24 weeks and two days. (https://booksbywomen.org/writing-my-w...)
"One Pound, Twelve Ounces" reads as an honest real-time journey that lets the reader into what was certainly an incredibly stressful time in the lives of Harris' family and particularly for Melissa, the mother. I welcomed learning every challenge and success that Sam encountered in his journey to leave the hospital for very personal reasons. My younger sister was born three months early in 1969, weighing just two pounds. I was too young to really understand what was going on, and though fifty years difference can be marked by advancements in medical science and technology, the raw feelings expressed and absorbed by Melissa's and Sam's experience are timeless, and I now have more understanding and empathy for my parents and sister.
Life is precious. I read this as a testimony to the human spirit and the resilience required from both Sam and Melissa. The journaling and blogging that Melissa was willing to articulate during the hardest days and the joyful days captured the essence of this spirit and resilience. As a reader, I thank you for letting me into these challenging early days of a young life.
I recently read Melissa Harris's guest blog at Booksbywomen.org about how writing helped her process the trauma of giving birth to her son when he was only 24 weeks and two days. (https://booksbywomen.org/writing-my-w...)
"One Pound, Twelve Ounces" reads as an honest real-time journey that lets the reader into what was certainly an incredibly stressful time in the lives of Harris' family and particularly for Melissa, the mother. I welcomed learning every challenge and success that Sam encountered in his journey to leave the hospital for very personal reasons. My younger sister was born three months early in 1969, weighing just two pounds. I was too young to really understand what was going on, and though fifty years difference can be marked by advancements in medical science and technology, the raw feelings expressed and absorbed by Melissa's and Sam's experience are timeless, and I now have more understanding and empathy for my parents and sister.
Life is precious. I read this as a testimony to the human spirit and the resilience required from both Sam and Melissa. The journaling and blogging that Melissa was willing to articulate during the hardest days and the joyful days captured the essence of this spirit and resilience. As a reader, I thank you for letting me into these challenging early days of a young life.
October 25, 2021
This is such a compelling read. I finished it in a few days, wanting so badly to know how everything turned out. I experienced many pregnancy losses of my own and this story really resonated. Melissa’s story is heartfelt and both sad and hopeful at the same time.
October 19, 2021
As a mom who was on complete bed rest for 12 weeks and then delivered my twins early, I can definitely relate to the range of emotions that come along with a scary pregnancy/premature babies. I enjoyed reading Melissa’s story, I felt like she told it so well- so open and honest about everything.
August 8, 2021
There are many babies born prematurely and what the parents and families go through, really isn't talked about. I am thankful that Melissa Harris, shared her story. I hope it helps her to share her story, and I hope that people will read her story and have a better understanding of what a parent and family of a preemie goes through.
This is part of Melissa's journey, and she shares, what she went through, what her family went through, what the doctors said and did, and what the nurses said and did.
There were parts of the story, that Melissa got so upset about the treatment of her baby and herself, and she had a friend who guided her, to speak up. Sometimes, there is a nurse, doctor, or social worker, that should work elsewhere, but most of the time, the doctors, nurses, and social workers, are there because they want to make a difference, and know that what they do will comfort their patient and the patient's family.
They went through a lot, and it is a book that will help many understand what the baby and family goes through, but the reason, she wrote the book, was another family was in the same situation she was, and was given the same info, which wasn't encouraging. Melissa and Sam had done an ad for the hospital, and a family that was going through what Melissa had gone through, saw the ad. They packed up and went to that hospital because they were hoping for the same outcome. It was an emotional story to read, but one that gave hope, as well as the many times, Melissa and her husband had to pick themselves up, and move forward. It gave me an understanding that I didn't know before, and the realization of the bond that is created in the NICU.
I received an ARC from She Writes Press through NetGalley.
This is part of Melissa's journey, and she shares, what she went through, what her family went through, what the doctors said and did, and what the nurses said and did.
There were parts of the story, that Melissa got so upset about the treatment of her baby and herself, and she had a friend who guided her, to speak up. Sometimes, there is a nurse, doctor, or social worker, that should work elsewhere, but most of the time, the doctors, nurses, and social workers, are there because they want to make a difference, and know that what they do will comfort their patient and the patient's family.
They went through a lot, and it is a book that will help many understand what the baby and family goes through, but the reason, she wrote the book, was another family was in the same situation she was, and was given the same info, which wasn't encouraging. Melissa and Sam had done an ad for the hospital, and a family that was going through what Melissa had gone through, saw the ad. They packed up and went to that hospital because they were hoping for the same outcome. It was an emotional story to read, but one that gave hope, as well as the many times, Melissa and her husband had to pick themselves up, and move forward. It gave me an understanding that I didn't know before, and the realization of the bond that is created in the NICU.
I received an ARC from She Writes Press through NetGalley.
August 28, 2021
**Was given an ARC by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
This book was a heartfelt read, I couldn't put down my Kindle once I started it.
Melissa Harris had a plan with her husband, Peter. Have two kids before she is 35 years old. She wanted them to be close in age, so after she had her first child, Irene, is born they started trying when she was only 2 years old. But there were problems with Melissa's reproductive system. She got pregnant and miscarried without even realizing it. That's when the couple went to a fertility specialist for help. Melissa underwent numerous surgeries to fix her problems and later took fertility shots at home.
She ends up pregnant with twins. But she miscarried one twin a few months into her pregnancy, then after giving a presentation at work, she started bleeding heavily and miscarried the second twin. A year plus later, she's pregnant again, she knows that this will be her last pregnancy. But at just a few days shy of her 6 month mark, she starts having contractions and is admitted. If she can hold on to her baby for 6 more days, the baby has a chance of survival outside the womb.
The support she received from her family and the staff at the hospital was remarkable. After she passes the 6 month limit, she has a C-Section and her son, Sam, is welcomed into the world. But it's just the start of her journey. Sam was born at just 1 pound, 12 ounces, he has a long fight ahead of him. He spent 95 days in the NICU having 2 surgeries, one to fix his heart, the other to fix his eyesight. Then he went home.
This book takes you on her journey of being a strong woman/mother throughout it all. Her children are both healthy and happy today.
A must read!
This book was a heartfelt read, I couldn't put down my Kindle once I started it.
Melissa Harris had a plan with her husband, Peter. Have two kids before she is 35 years old. She wanted them to be close in age, so after she had her first child, Irene, is born they started trying when she was only 2 years old. But there were problems with Melissa's reproductive system. She got pregnant and miscarried without even realizing it. That's when the couple went to a fertility specialist for help. Melissa underwent numerous surgeries to fix her problems and later took fertility shots at home.
She ends up pregnant with twins. But she miscarried one twin a few months into her pregnancy, then after giving a presentation at work, she started bleeding heavily and miscarried the second twin. A year plus later, she's pregnant again, she knows that this will be her last pregnancy. But at just a few days shy of her 6 month mark, she starts having contractions and is admitted. If she can hold on to her baby for 6 more days, the baby has a chance of survival outside the womb.
The support she received from her family and the staff at the hospital was remarkable. After she passes the 6 month limit, she has a C-Section and her son, Sam, is welcomed into the world. But it's just the start of her journey. Sam was born at just 1 pound, 12 ounces, he has a long fight ahead of him. He spent 95 days in the NICU having 2 surgeries, one to fix his heart, the other to fix his eyesight. Then he went home.
This book takes you on her journey of being a strong woman/mother throughout it all. Her children are both healthy and happy today.
A must read!
August 3, 2021
Thank you to Melissa Harris for sharing her hopes, her dreams, her battles and her triumphs as she fought to conceive, and then to carry to term her precious gift. This is the story of her journey and determination to not only become pregnant but to give her micro-preemie a chance of survival. I applaud her efforts, her strength in the face of adversity, her vulnerability. And I thank her for having the courage to share this story so that it may offer hope to others. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.
May 22, 2024
This a rare book for me to find. This book has.everything you could ever want in a book of truth. This book made me cry so much, I had to stop reading it for a.little bit. Its a heart wrenching story about a mother and preemie. I am not kidding when I.say you better have a box of tissues near by. This book got me crying, made me happy, and made me a bit angry. But most of all, this book is so filled with love that you can actually feel it in the words. Hope she writes another book about the baby. Great book!! Love it so much!! Its a seriously must read!!
I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review.
I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review.
January 6, 2022
“It wasn’t until I talked with my therapist that I fully understood what was going on with me. She diagnosed me with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and informed me this was something many preemie parents suffer from – often silently.” In her memoir, One Pound, Twelve Ounces: A Preemie Mother’s Story of Loss, Hope, and Triumph, Melissa Harris openly details the highs and lows, the stress and trauma, and the emotional toll that she endured through her fertility journey. This biological roller coaster event in Harris’s life is not often talked or written about. And not every similar tale ends in triumph. Melissa Harris describes the pain of miscarriage, the stubbornness and sheer will to get her body to hold on against all odds to an at-risk pregnancy, her tenacious resolve to pump breast milk for her preemie, and finally the hope rediscovered in breast feeding her infant. It’s a story of what women put their bodies through to achieve the miracle of life. We can all learn from it.
October 5, 2021
Harris writes of her harrowing experience with her attempts at having a second child. From her miscarriage of twins to the ultra early delivery of her second child, this book is stuffed full of emotion, Much of the story is about her son’s time in the NICU and every little advance and set back. Her family endured a lot and there were casualties. The book reveals what lengths one mother went through to hold onto her child. Thanks to She Writes Press and NetGalley for the early read.
December 18, 2021
I couldn’t put this book down! I really enjoyed getting to know the daily life of the author and her family as she struggled to become pregnant and then gave birth to a micropremie. The author wrote very descriptively and at times it felt like I was living the experience through her. She also made an effort to share all of the personal and private feelings, emotions and experiences she went though in the course of her failed pregnancies and very early birth. She gave a voice to PTSD as well as the many other mental health struggles parents in her situation may go through. I’m so glad I read this book and really appreciate the ARC I received through netgalley and the publisher!
May 2, 2022
What a beautiful memoir of a mother’s resilience and love for her children! Harris not only chronicles the ups and downs of the first year of her son’s life, but she gives a detailed picture of life in the NICU as well as an emotionally rich and vivid story of her own transformation. I highly recommend this book.
January 26, 2022
A riveting accounting of one mother’s experience in the NICU with her micro preemie. As a NICU mom, this memoir deeply resonated with me. Full of raw and honest emotion, this is a brave story of resilience, sacrifice and unconditional love. A highly recommended read.
December 3, 2025
Only NICU parents will ever understand how the NICU is a place you're so grateful for, but also a place that will forever haunt you. I'm one of those parents. Excellent read!
November 29, 2021
The struggles and fears and exhaustion that parents of babies born prematurely face are brought into the light of day in this gripping memoir. Underlying it all here is the limitless amount of love the author and her husband have for their little one as he struggles and succeeds in getting through his first year of life. It's a story of love.
August 7, 2021
Thank you so much to NetGalley and She Writes Press for gifting me One Pound, Twelve Ounces!! 🧡
For those you do not know, this book actually hits me very close to home. This book is a biography about the author Melissa Harris and her story of being a NICU parent with her second child. This book shows the real and raw side of having a child prematurely and what it is like to have a child in the NICU.
My youngest son Austin was born prematurely when I was 32 weeks pregnant due to a tear in my placenta. My contractions had happened unexpectedly and got worse over time throughout the day which I knew wasn’t right. After being in labor for 3 hours and pushing for 11 minutes, I had my 4 pound 2 ounce baby boy that had to get rushed straight away out of my hospital room and had to be taken by ambulance 45 minutes away to a different hospital since the hospital I gave birth at did not have a NICU.
Doctors always said that if Austin did not come when he did that night, both Austin and I could have died. Which is incredibly scary to think!
Austin was in the NICU for 70 days and went through tons of ups and downs; moving from different types of ventilators, going through multiple tests and scans, having to learn how to eat only to end up on a feeding tube when he came home.
It was the most toughest journey that myself as a mother had to go through. You never know truly what is going to happen day after day. The NICU is the most unpredictable place where one day is good and then the next day could be the worst day ever.
This book covered all of the raw and real experiences that every NICU parent knows. I couldn’t help but to picture my own NICU journey with Austin and acknowledge all of the past feelings that I remember feeling.
Be on the lookout for this book to be published on November 2nd of this year!!! 🙌🏻
For those you do not know, this book actually hits me very close to home. This book is a biography about the author Melissa Harris and her story of being a NICU parent with her second child. This book shows the real and raw side of having a child prematurely and what it is like to have a child in the NICU.
My youngest son Austin was born prematurely when I was 32 weeks pregnant due to a tear in my placenta. My contractions had happened unexpectedly and got worse over time throughout the day which I knew wasn’t right. After being in labor for 3 hours and pushing for 11 minutes, I had my 4 pound 2 ounce baby boy that had to get rushed straight away out of my hospital room and had to be taken by ambulance 45 minutes away to a different hospital since the hospital I gave birth at did not have a NICU.
Doctors always said that if Austin did not come when he did that night, both Austin and I could have died. Which is incredibly scary to think!
Austin was in the NICU for 70 days and went through tons of ups and downs; moving from different types of ventilators, going through multiple tests and scans, having to learn how to eat only to end up on a feeding tube when he came home.
It was the most toughest journey that myself as a mother had to go through. You never know truly what is going to happen day after day. The NICU is the most unpredictable place where one day is good and then the next day could be the worst day ever.
This book covered all of the raw and real experiences that every NICU parent knows. I couldn’t help but to picture my own NICU journey with Austin and acknowledge all of the past feelings that I remember feeling.
Be on the lookout for this book to be published on November 2nd of this year!!! 🙌🏻
May 31, 2022
One Pound, Twelve Ounces is a novel written by Melissa Harris. It was originally published on November 2nd, 2021 by SheWritesPress. I was able to obtain an Advance Review Copy (ARC) of this book on NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a memoir novel that Melissa wrote when her son was born at only 24 weeks in her pregnancy and weighed only one pound and twelve ounces. The story is about her experience with her son being a patient in the NICU, while also giving background information on her pregnancy, previous pregnancy with her daughter, and her relationships with her husband, daughter and family and friends. There is also information on what resources are available at the hospital, and how the staff treats their patients.
I read this novel when I was in my 6th month of pregnancy, and I found it very illuminating. I am now writing this review when my daughter is almost 3 months old, and was actually a patient in the NICU. This book was very emotional and moving, and I found it very helpful about the NICU process when my daughter was a patient, which I think helped me mentally and emotionally. Therefore, I would highly recommend any woman who is pregnant to read this book, and also NICU mothers that had a traumatic birth experience. I would also recommend it to any parent with a child, since it seems to make you feel more emotional and precious about your child or children.
I rate this book as 5/5 stars. I read it a time when I was emotional, and I was actually able to use the information for my own benefit.
This book is a memoir novel that Melissa wrote when her son was born at only 24 weeks in her pregnancy and weighed only one pound and twelve ounces. The story is about her experience with her son being a patient in the NICU, while also giving background information on her pregnancy, previous pregnancy with her daughter, and her relationships with her husband, daughter and family and friends. There is also information on what resources are available at the hospital, and how the staff treats their patients.
I read this novel when I was in my 6th month of pregnancy, and I found it very illuminating. I am now writing this review when my daughter is almost 3 months old, and was actually a patient in the NICU. This book was very emotional and moving, and I found it very helpful about the NICU process when my daughter was a patient, which I think helped me mentally and emotionally. Therefore, I would highly recommend any woman who is pregnant to read this book, and also NICU mothers that had a traumatic birth experience. I would also recommend it to any parent with a child, since it seems to make you feel more emotional and precious about your child or children.
I rate this book as 5/5 stars. I read it a time when I was emotional, and I was actually able to use the information for my own benefit.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews