CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF CELEBRATING AND CARING FOR YOUR BABY WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR FOR ANOTHER CHOICE, A $10 GIFT CARD TO BATH AND BODY WORKS! Read on.

If you’ve been reading my blog posts, you might remember how I based a secondary character, Miranda, in my chick-lit mystery, A Fiery Secret, on our daughter, Amanda. You might also remember that Amanda was born with Down syndrome. Three years ago, I wrote a book to help other parents with babies with special needs. Since Mother’s Day is just around the corner, I’m going to give a copy of my book, CELEBRATING AND CARING FOR YOUR BABY WITH SPECIAL NEEDS away. If you leave a comment here at this post any time by May 4th, your name will be entered into a drawing. Or you can email me through my website and be sure to put in the subject line “Special Needs Drawing” and you’ll also be entered. I’ll have Amanda draw the winner.

By the way, I also have a minor character, Tony, born with Down syndrome in my mainstream, NEVER THE SAME. Both Miranda and Tony have jobs and contribute to society. I like to show in my books what a blessing people with disabilities can be in our world if given the opportunity.

Lisa Davis is Community Relations and Information Director at the Clermont County MRDD program and she wrote the following book review:

After reading this book, I can honestly say Diane Craver speaks from the heart about the good and bad moments she has experienced with her family throughout her children’s lives. Sharing her own story is her GREATEST gift, and Diane’s strength will certainly help those of us who are struggling with mixed emotions about the birth of a child who has special needs. Diane’s energy is depicted through the many creative activities listed in Chapter’s Six and Eight, and yet the blessings she discusses in Chapter Nine will guide any parent into knowing they are truly blessed with the love of their child! Reading this book will make you laugh, make you cry, and will be a comfort to you when you need it most!
- Lisa E. Davis

Here is a blurb and a short excerpt for you to enjoy:

If you have recently given birth to a baby with special needs or know someone who has, buy this book. Because of the short length, parents will actually have time to read CELEBRATING AND CARING FOR YOUR BABY WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. Many uplifting tips and advice are given to help parents through the early months of this stressful time.

Diane writes from the perspective of her own experience as the mother of two children with Down syndrome. With deep depression the second time, she learned how to overcome her sadness in having another child with special needs. She gives insight into what worked for her so that other parents can cope with challenges during this emotional time and in the end, will feel blessed.

Diane’s topics include practical advice about the following: parenting, grieving for the child you didn’t have, celebrating your baby’s life, your self-esteem, fun things, and concerns about talking to others about your baby’s handicap. Activities and toys used to stimulate early development that Diane found helpful in working with her daughter, Amanda, are also covered.

The book ends with a resource chapter for various disabilities and includes the following: financial organizations to assist you in caring for your child’s medical needs, fun groups that are low cost, and a great listing of books to aid parents in helping their child to reach his or her full emotional and intellectual potential.

Excerpt from Chapter Two:

“Grieving for the Child You Didn’t Have”

I think you need to grieve for the child you didn’t have. You were expecting a healthy baby and now feel cheated over what happened instead. I needed to grieve for the “normal” child I never gave birth to. It’s good to get your feelings out and cry. I released a lot of emotion by mourning for the perfect infant I had expected, but didn’t have. Then I could start bonding with Amanda and loving her for the sweet baby she was.

Don’t make hasty decisions during this grieving time. This isn’t the time to give the baby up for foster care or adoption. Give the situation more time and thought, and make every effort to nurture this child. Because of my lingering depression, I did wonder if Amanda would be better off without me for a mother. I knew, however, that I could never give her away and wanted to keep her.

In February when we received a letter form the genetic counselor confirming that Amanda was born with Down syndrome, I saw Tom’s sad eyes. And he told me that he was depressed after reading the chromosome information. Even though we expected it was true before receiving the letter, it was still shattering to realize our small iota of hope was taken away from us. Everything was out of our control. Amanda would live her life with an extra chromosome and there was nothing we could do about that.

After receiving the letter, I told Tom, “We shouldn’t have had Amanda.”

Instantly he replied, “I’m glad we have Amanda.”

His love for her was already strong and wasn’t diminished just because she was born with a handicap. Probably being busy with teaching helped him get through this difficult time so quickly while I was the one with Amanda the most, and so was always focused on her immediate needs and concerned about her future.

Looking back, I know the grieving process was important, so that I was able to get it out of the way and to eventually move on with my life. However, feeling sorry for yourself and your baby too long isn’t good. I didn’t get professional counseling, but maybe some people might need to go this route to get help.

Just make sure you do not grieve so long for what you have lost, that you miss out on what you have been given.

It’s healthy to get your feelings out but if you’re in this stage too long, you’ll miss out on precious moments of enjoying your baby. And you will have wonderful times with your child with special needs. Later, I’ll tell you how much Amanda has added to our whole family structure that I wouldn’t have believed possible.

CELEBRATING AND CARING FOR YOUR BABY WITH SPECIAL NEEDS can be purchased as an ebook or paperback at: http://www.booklocker.com/books/1480.html

and also can click on Amazon to buy a copy!

Don’t forget to leave a comment here so you’ll be entered into the drawing for May 4th, and thanks for stopping by.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 15th, 2007 at 6:55 am and is filed under Diane's Posts, Excerpts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.