Book on miscarriage offers Catholic point of view

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"After Miscarriage" (Servant Books/Franciscan Media)

Women who have experienced a miscarriage often feel alone. The grief can be devastating and seeking support can be overwhelming.

Karen Edmisten and her husband, Tom, experienced five miscarriages, each one serving as a major heartbreak to the couple. So when Karen Edmisten decided to write "After Miscarriage: A Catholic Woman's Companion to Healing and Hope" (Servant Books/Franciscan Media, $12.99) earlier this year, she wanted it to be the faith-based resource she wished was available when she was wading through the grief of her own losses.

Through the lens of the Catholic faith, Edmisten shares her own story and those of friends and others who have had miscarriages. The book is an easy, reflective read that delves into short, but poignant chapters, often tying into Scripture, on topics including loss, suffering, prayer and grace, among others. The book also offers practical advice such as seeking grief counseling, ways of honoring the child and more.

In an interview from her home in Norfolk, Neb., Edmisten explained that while there are so many books out there on the topic of miscarriage, "I heard from countless other women, 'What is out there for Catholics?'" Not much, she answered.

As she wrote the book, Edmisten said reliving her five miscarriages elicited a flood of emotions, which she described in her book as a "reaction born of sacrificial love and the recognition that suffering has meaning."

That suffering was a huge part of her own spiritual journey. "It's always so hard when we're going through something that causes a lot of suffering to really understand why it's happening," she said. "And we can't usually see the meaning in it. I think a lot of times, even when something is over, we don't necessarily always see the meaning or reason while we're here on earth." Through her miscarriages, Edmisten said, she gained the wisdom and the distance to "be able to look back and see that every suffering brought some kind of Resurrection."