Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart by Dianna Vagianos Armentrout-Review & Guest Post

Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart by Dianna Vagianos Armentrout

Publisher: White Flowers Press (May 22, 2016)
Category: Self-Help, Grief & Bereavement, Parenting & Relationships, Spirituality, Healing from Loss
Tour dates: Oct/Nov, 2017
ISBN: 978-0982117644
ASIN: B01I2KD37Q
Available in Print & ebook, 130 pages

Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart: A Journey of Pregnancy, Grief and Infant Death breaks the lonely, silent suffering of bereaved mothers facing infant and pregnancy loss. Dianna Vagianos Armentrout details her pregnancy journey with her daughter, Mary Rose, who died an hour after birth of trisomy 18, a random genetic illness described as “incompatible with life.”

For five long months of pregnancy, she knew that her baby would not live and thrive, planning a funeral and seeking hospice for her unborn daughter. The heaviness of this grief, which most women bear alone, is shared here and will comfort mothers who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death.

With eloquent language, fierce honesty and a record of the rawness of grief, readers in the midst of their own suffering will recognize the path that bereaved parents walk. Dianna’s experiences with infertility, motherhood, infant loss and miscarriage infuse her writing with compassion for all women.

Through journal entries, essays and poetry, Dianna invites the reader to process grief and honor the life of the child, no matter how brief. In addition, readers will learn how to support the bereaved by remembering the baby and pregnancy.

Finally there is a book to honor the pregnancy, baby and loss, loving the children past their death, loving the wombs that nurtured them and accepting the sacred path of mothering children whose bodies are broken, but whose souls are intact and perfectly whole. This book shines with love and the knowledge that even the briefest life is holy.

Read it. Share it. Spread the word. We no longer have to grieve our infants and pregnancies alone.

My Thoughts Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart by Dianna Vagianos Armentrout

In the early 1990’s my sister-in-law gave birth to a baby boy. However, he was stillborn. My brother and sister in-law were devastated. So were our families. However, we all grieved differently. My brother and sister in-law named him after my grandfather and buried him. My parents were upset that they named him. I think it had something to do with the Jewish faith. However, I thought it was a good idea. They saw his face, even though he wasn’t alive, he deserved the respect of a name and a burial. I wish I had read ‘Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart’ back then. I would have sent a copy to my brother and sister in-law as I think it would have helped.

Dianna Vagianos Armentrout is a skilled writer and she shares her experience of losing an infant. ‘Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart’ is a memoir but uses a combination of journal entries, essays, and poetry to share her story.

She found out when she was pregnant that her girt had a rare genetic disease called Trisomy 18. She was told that she may not even carry to term and that the prognosis if she did so was grim. Dianna and her husband decided to carry the baby to term but chose not to put her on life support. About 90% of parents in this situation decide to abort.

This memoir is gut wrenching yet hopeful at the same time. I shed many tears while reading it. I think many couples facing the loss of an infant could really gain knowledge and relief by reading this book. Ms. Armentrout writes from her heart and does not hold back. She is honest about what she went through. She wrote it as therapy for herself but also in the hope that she can help others. It is also a way to honor her baby daughter, Mary Rose. She accomplishes all of these things. I highly recommend ‘Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart’.

5/5

I received the ebook for my honest review.

About Dianna Vagianos Armentrout

Dianna Vagianos Armentrout is a published writer, teacher, workshop facilitator and poetry therapist. She graduated from Adelphi University’s Honors Program and earned her MAW from Manhattanville College. Dianna’s pregnancy with her daughter, Mary Rose, who died an hour after birth of trisomy 18, changed her life completely. Her blog, Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart, was launched in April 2015 as a way of offering support to others going through pregnancies with difficult and fatal diagnoses.

Dianna wishes to change the cultural fear of death and social awkwardness around the bereaved by educating others to be present and open to the natural process of death. Not knowing what to say is fine. Let’s sit together quietly not knowing what to say about our most difficult and sacred losses, because a loving community is vital to the healing of the bereaved in our broken world. Dianna volunteers with Isaiah’s Promise as a peer minister, and can’t help sending “Healing Companion” cards to mothers facing pregnancy and newborn losses.

Dianna’s poems, short fiction and essays have been published in several journals and anthologies, including The Vermont Literary Review, The Connecticut Review, The Dos Passos Review, Melusine or Women in the 21st century, Sacred Fire Magazine, Sensations Magazine, and Inkwell. She has taught at Southern Connecticut State University, Quinnipiac University and The Graduate Institute, and has facilitated poetry workshops in the tri-state area. As a poet and teacher, she believes that everyone has the inherent gift of poetry. Her workshops create the space for people to be still and access their own words, images and metaphors as they step into their healing.

She lives at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. When she isn’t writing or reading, she spends her time outdoors walking and gardening. Dianna also tinkers with recipes for paleo cookies and shares them with those around her.

Website: www.diannavagianos.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diannavarmentrout/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/labyrinthofmyheart/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/diannavagianos
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/labyrinthofmyheart/

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Giveaway Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart by Dianna Vagianos Armentrout

This giveaway is for the choice of print or ebook however, print is available to the U.S. Only and ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on November 30, 2017 midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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