Rachel Kirkpatrick, from Dumfries, has gathered together 30 stories for ‘Motherly Love in a Pandemic: sharing stories of motherhood during a global crisis’. Explaining how it came about, she said: “The book is a result of maintaining a theme of ‘community’ while in lockdown and a ‘Spotlight On…’ series was created in our private online community where mums could share their stories openly about conception, pregnancy, labour and those first few months of parenthood.
“In total we ended up with 30 stories from mums across the region, including my own. I decided to collate all the stories and publish them as a book to represent these unusual times and celebrate the bravery of all the mums sharing such unique and individual stories. Each story has its own journey with challenges and overcoming them for the joy of having a baby.”
Rachel herself is the mother of an 11-year-old boy and the founder of Rose Wellbeing Therapies, which offers baby massage and baby yoga sessions, as well as parent and baby groups in Dumfries. She said: “My story takes us through my seven years of being an a single parent and the challenges of that before meeting my partner who has been an amazing father figure to my son for the past four years.
“It has been a strange and challenging transition to have both running a business from home and home schooling into our lives and, as with all families around the world, we are in our boat trying to get through the storm. A quote on the back of the book is “There is always a rainbow after every storm.”
The book is her first publication and links to her health and wellbeing work with parents and babies during their post natal journey. She says many found it ‘cathartic and healing’ to put their story down on paper and get it out there, adding: “Each and every story received amazing support and love in our private community and this encouraged others to share.”
Rachel hopes it will be well read and said: “This book can be aimed at anyone who has an interest in other people’s stories and what they have been through. “Many parents will resonate and connect with these stories as some may bring tears to your eyes but all of them end up with joy and happiness. The 30 short stories will allow the reader to pick the book up read a story and then pick another one the next time they pick it up.”
Motherly Love In A Pandemic has been self published through Amazon and proceeds from its sale will go to various charities. Go to www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088B815ZQ
