Anchored by Kayla Aimee

Becoming a first time mommy is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. After years of infertility, Kayla Aimee was thrilled to be pregnant and highly anticipated the day she would give birth to her daughter. When that day came at only 25 weeks in the womb, Kayla's faith was shaken and she feared for her tiny newborn.

This is an extremely well written and compelling account of a premie birth and the months afterward. Besides great communication skills, Kayla has a sense of humor that comes across loud and clear. I found the book a delight to read, even though it deals with a difficult subject.

When Scarlette was born, she weighed less than six cubes of butter, not even a pound and a half. Kayla takes us into the NICU, through the emergencies, the pulmonary numbers, the sounding alarms, the hole in Scarlette's heart, the oscillating ventilator, the heart surgery, the clinging to life.

Kayla is honest about her broken faith and her questions toward God. She shares her feelings of failure and her inability to pray. She writes of being stripped to the barest of hope at yet another code. She also shares her change in confidence when she noticed a problem a nurse overlooked. She began taking an active part in monitoring her daughter's care. She also shares the pressure that was put on their marriage, including their finances.

This is a great book about a very hard experience, made pleasantly readable because of Kayla's writing ability and sense of humor. The book is very informative and is good for anyone wanting to know about how premie babies are cared for in the NICU. Reading the book may be hard for a mother who has had a similar experience. Scarlette survived yet many in the NICU did not. I would not recommend the book for parents who have lost a premie child. For others, however, this is a very honest and informative book.

Food for thought:

“What we choose to do with our own suffering is what we send out into the world, and well stewarded it can bring forth beauty from ashes, hope for the hopeless.” (181)

Kayla Aimee is a writer, mother and slightly spirited southern girl who spends her days uncovering hope and humor in unexpected places. She makes her home with her husband and daughter in northern Georgia. You can find out more at http://kaylaaimee.com/ and follow her on Twitter @KaylaAimee.

B&H Publishing, 208 pages.

I received a complimentary galley of this book through Icon Media for the purpose of an independent and honest review.