Ask Me His Name
By Elle Wright
Blurb
Dear Reader, When I found myself experiencing a motherhood that I never expected, one that I was terrified of living, I didn't know how I would carry on being "normal." I didn't know how much I would long for people to say my son Teddy's name, to not treat him like he didn't exist. Maybe you're in this boat too, or maybe you want to support someone who is? Whatever your reason, I hope our story goes a little way to help. Love, Elle
What do you do when the unthinkable happens? Elle Wright had an admittedly easy pregnancy—her scans went well, she and her baby were healthy throughout, and in May 2016, she and her husband welcomed their son, Teddy, into the world. Just a few hours after giving birth, they woke to find a nurse holding a cold and unresponsive Teddy, who had stopped breathing during the night. The happiest day of Elle's life had turned into every parent's worst nightmare, and she had to let her beautiful baby boy go. Three days after delivering him into the world, Elle sat with Teddy in her arms as he took his last breaths, and tucked him in for the final time. Ask Me His Name is a moving account of Elle's pregnancy, Teddy's life, and what happens when a mother leaves a hospital with empty arms. In the UK, 1 in 4 pregnancies end in premature death, but conversations about the heartbreakingly frequent issue of baby loss are few and far between. In this honest, beautifully written, and hopeful exploration of a different kind of mothering, Elle explores how she navigated a parenthood that no one had prepared her for.
Our Review
Ask Me His Name is one of those books that stays with you for a long time after you finish it. I finished it almost 24 hours ago and it has occupied many of my thoughts since in so many ways.
First of all, I want to say how much I think the author Elle Wright is amazing and incredibly strong. Having a child die at any age must be tough but to have a child die only a few days after birth is unimaginable and every parent’s worst nightmare.
Ask Me His Name made me laugh and cry many times. At some points I had to stop reading and go have a break because it was so emotive. Again, I can’t imagine what it was like to live through it.
I would recommend Ask Me His Name to anyone who has experienced the death of their child, for healthcare professionals and anyone who simply wants to partially understand how people feel after the death of a baby.
I found the behaviour of the bereavement midwife appalling. I was also frustrated by the outdated and inconsiderate comments from people expecting her to have a time limit on her grief or to grieve in a specific way.
Ask Me His Name is not a story about grief and loss, Ask Me His Name is about love.
Our Final Rating...
Read & Shared 34 Times.
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