2011 - Talk Birth

Book Review: Times Two (2011-03-18 16:09)
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Book Review: Times Two: Two Women In Love & the Happy Family They Made
By Kristen Henderson & Sarah Kate Ellis
Free Press, 2011
ISBN 978-1439176405
224 pages, hard cover, $14.81
Reviewed by Molly Remer, MSW, ICCE, CCCE
[2]http://talkbirth.wordpress.com
Written in a she said/she said format, Times Two is an engaging memoir of two women’s journey into
parenthood. I was immediately entranced by their story and devoured the whole book in less than 24 hours.
A professional couple living in New York, Kristen and Sarah embark on various fertility treatments and
experience a devastating miscarriage before both becoming pregnant—with the same donor and with due
dates only three days apart. The rest of the book chronicles their progress through their dual pregnancies,
the births of their nearly-twins, and a brief discussion of the postpartum adjustment period. It was interesting—and
sad—to read about the hurdles faced by same-sex couples in achieving legal parenting rights.
I was especially interested in their birth choices. While beginning with very different goals, the mothers-to-be
hire a doula and find the private birth classes she offers to be a transformative influence. Sarah successfully
turns her transverse baby with moxibustion shortly before her due date and avoids a scheduled cesarean and
both women give birth with doula support (and eventually epidurals) during the same month.
The book is fast-paced and reads like a novel. A nice, extra touch is a series of color photos in the middle
of the book—ultrasound pictures, double-belly pictures, and photos of the babies and family. The tone
of Times Two is fairly lightweight and casual and the dialogue felt somewhat stilted or artificial, but this
unusual double narrative kept me captivated.
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Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.
1. http://www.amazon.com/Times-Two-Women-Happy-Family/dp/143917640X/
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