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Hush: True Stories of Pregnancy-Related Death and Near-Miss in the U.S.A.
True Stories of Pregnancy-Related Death and Near-Miss is an anthology of stories written, edited, and compiled by Anne Garrett, co-founder of the Preeclampsia Foundation and the Unexpected Project, and herself a three-time survivor of pregnancy-related near-death. Told in chronological order from 1986 (her first near-death due to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy) until 2022, Hush shares 48 stories from survivors across the U.S. representing the leading causes of pregnancy-related death and near-miss including hemorrhage, eclampsia/HELLP Syndrome, postpartum psychosis, amniotic fluid embolism, ectopic pregnancy, and medical malpractice. Hush includes first-person accounts from Jennifer Binkley Carney, Todd Heiden, Aimee Woolwine, Joan Lambert, and Dr. Linda Burke, as well as stories shared with the author. Harrowing, heartbreaking, and honest, it is a hard but essential read.
Following her third near-miss, in 1999, despite having access to one of the best maternal-fetal medicine specialists in the U.S.A., and the best possible care, Anne Garrett worked with her then-husband Anil Singh-Molares, close friend Joan Lambert, and her doctor Dr. Thomas R. Easterling to co-found the Preeclampsia Foundation. The mission was to reduce maternal death and near-miss in the U.S.A. Despite incredible work and awareness raising, twenty-six years later, according to the nonprofit Every Mother Counts , "the number of women who die giving birth in America each year has nearly doubled in the last two decades," and the U.S.A. has higher rates than forty-five other countries. Over half of all maternal deaths in the U.S. can be prevented.
Survivors - the women who nearly died, or the husbands, partners, family, and friends of those who lost their lives - are routinely told to not share their stories because it is disturbing and frightening. This results in ongoing trauma, lack of support during what is often a difficult recovery period, and isolation. Survivors often struggle with PTSD, grief, physical pain, and depression on their own. This is part of the great "hush-hush" as one Twitter follower to the Unexpected Project called it which can lead women and men to keep their pain to themselves and creates another generation of uninformed, unprepared pregnant women.
We believe awareness saves lives. We believe by not sharing our stories, we are part of the problem. Hush is a chorus of survivors standing together and saying #Hush - I am a survivor and I count. My story counts. Learn from my experience so that we can make childbirth safer for all women and their babies.
Following her third near-miss, in 1999, despite having access to one of the best maternal-fetal medicine specialists in the U.S.A., and the best possible care, Anne Garrett worked with her then-husband Anil Singh-Molares, close friend Joan Lambert, and her doctor Dr. Thomas R. Easterling to co-found the Preeclampsia Foundation. The mission was to reduce maternal death and near-miss in the U.S.A. Despite incredible work and awareness raising, twenty-six years later, according to the nonprofit Every Mother Counts , "the number of women who die giving birth in America each year has nearly doubled in the last two decades," and the U.S.A. has higher rates than forty-five other countries. Over half of all maternal deaths in the U.S. can be prevented.
Survivors - the women who nearly died, or the husbands, partners, family, and friends of those who lost their lives - are routinely told to not share their stories because it is disturbing and frightening. This results in ongoing trauma, lack of support during what is often a difficult recovery period, and isolation. Survivors often struggle with PTSD, grief, physical pain, and depression on their own. This is part of the great "hush-hush" as one Twitter follower to the Unexpected Project called it which can lead women and men to keep their pain to themselves and creates another generation of uninformed, unprepared pregnant women.
We believe awareness saves lives. We believe by not sharing our stories, we are part of the problem. Hush is a chorus of survivors standing together and saying #Hush - I am a survivor and I count. My story counts. Learn from my experience so that we can make childbirth safer for all women and their babies.
320 pages, Paperback
Published October 16, 2022
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November 27, 2022
An eye-opening read and a must for any new labor and delivery nurse! The stories in this book were raw, and I often found myself having to pause between stories to handle the weight of what I had just read…. Imagine what it was like for the mom’s experiencing it? The family members who lost them? Many of these women are very lucky to be alive, many of the expressed experiences could have been prevented with earlier intervention. I will use this to better connect with my patients and their families, especially those with unexpected outcomes.
My 5 star review was demoted to a 4.5 only because I felt the editing could use a lot of work, but I say this knowing that Anne was not only the author but also the interviewer, the non-profit fundraiser runner, co founder of the pre eclampsia foundation, a mom, and probably a million other things…. So we’ll only take a half point for that. She’s basically super woman!
My 5 star review was demoted to a 4.5 only because I felt the editing could use a lot of work, but I say this knowing that Anne was not only the author but also the interviewer, the non-profit fundraiser runner, co founder of the pre eclampsia foundation, a mom, and probably a million other things…. So we’ll only take a half point for that. She’s basically super woman!
Displaying 1 of 1 review