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Lessons of Labor is a collection of one woman's labor and delivery experiences, the profound lessons learned, and the wisdom she then applied to her subsequent pregnancies, motherhood, and marriage. Sharing from her heart, Aziz's practical gems of knowledge transcend childbearing and are effective tools that can be used in the day-to-day routines of all women.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker and mother of three, Julia S. Aziz offers insight into the miraculous and often-unprepared world of childbearing. Aziz divides her debut memoir according to her pregnancies. Aptly labeled "Babies 1, 2, & 3, Aziz breaks down the sections even further with a journal chronology of her labor and delivery experiences. Aziz's narrative is a consistent pattern of sequential journal snippets and lessons learned, followed by discussions that span the past decade of her life, as well as lesson implementation within familial situations. Aziz's words of wisdom cover an array of themes. Contentment, trust, faith, and asking/receiving help are just a few examples.
Following in the same framework, Aziz's final memoir segment details her heartbreaking yet extremely uplifting account of her first pregnancy, which resulted in a miscarriage. Subtitled "The Birth of Unrealized Dreams and Unexpected Tenderness," Aziz expresses the vulnerability often association with unexpected loss. Amid many of the themes that focus on grieving, Aziz draws attention to the importance of closure. While each woman deals with loss differently, Aziz shares how creating ritual—naming the unborn child, the burial of mementos, and producing a collage—is one way to aid in the healing process.
Aziz's lessons touch the lives of every woman, no matter their walk in life. Nonetheless, Aziz's closes her thought-provoking work with a message for new moms: "Trust and be kind to yourself. If you can do these things as often as possible, you will, I believe do a great job taking care of your babies."
RECOMMENDED by the US Review