by Amira Mikhail
The desire for motherhood is a very strong emotion in the majority of women. It is innate and part of the desire to procreate thus ensuring the survival of the species. That’s just the way it is and as it was for our author Amira Mikhail.
Mikhail was suffering from endometriosis at the top end of the scale and as she grew older she was confronted with many obstacles and problems that were making her end goal, the desire for motherhood, more and more difficult to accomplish.
As each problem arose the author faced up to them with intelligence, determination and good sound medical knowledge.
Through Mission to Motherhood we accompany her through her journey of the horrors of fibroids causing massive blood loss and accompanying problems: the pain of endometriosis, and a miscarriage at 12 weeks.
The book then leads us through the emotional highs and lows of IVF and finally surrogacy. This story has a happy ending but one can’t help being moved as we read about her miscarriage and the difficulties of her first surrogacy attempt.
As a retired Registered Nurse with a vast amount of experience in the gynaecological area I have witnessed the agony of miscarriage, prenatal deaths, and endometriosis, and so had an excellent understanding of the medical terminology used throughout the narrative; and I could appreciate the emotional roller coaster that is felt by women, and their suffering, during these times. There were occasions when I was moved to tears at the raw emotions that were experienced by the author – but, as I have said, this story has a happy ending and the delight of the happy parents and the extended family is obvious at all.
The book is well written and could be used as a textbook for those who are considering surrogacy as it gives in great detail the emotional and legal ramifications for those who are embarking on this journey.
I wish this delightful family every happiness and thank them for sharing their story through the pages of Mission to Motherhood.
Author: Amira Mikhail
Publisher: Calico Publishing http://calicopublishing.co.nz
ISBN: 978 1877429 20 0
RRP: $40
Available: bookshops