BABY DESCRIBES LIFE IN THE WOMB
Portland, OR—Sept. 27, 1999--A different kind of pregnancy book is hitting the shelves. It doesn’t discuss morning sickness, varicose veins, or the pains of labor. Instead, Countdown to a Miracle: The Making of Me focuses solely on the new life being created—from conception to birth. Written from the child’s point of view, it chronicles the daily changes taking place as your child grows from a single cell into a miniature human being.

Designed to be read one day at a time throughout the pregnancy, this book will interest both first time and experienced parents-to-be. Daily information narrates when the heart and other organs begin to function, which body part is being developed right now, which reflexes he or she is displaying now, the current weight and length of the baby, and much more. "This book can help parents develop an early bond with their unborn child by following his or her development day by day," says the author, Julie B. Carr. She also hopes that by personalizing the intricate details of development, this book will inspire mothers-to-be to give up smoking, alcoholic beverages, drugs, and other behaviors that are harmful to her child. She will donate a portion of the proceeds to the March of Dimes to help prevent birth defects.

Carr wrote the book shortly after the birth of her first child. "One day while I was pregnant, my mother called and, after discussing my pregnancy symptoms for a while, asked, ‘So what’s happening with the baby?’ I didn’t know—all the books that I had been reading focused on me, not my baby." She formed a company, Motherly Way Enterprises, then wrote and published the book herself.

Countdown to a Miracle: The Making of Me (Motherly Way Enterprises, $12.95, spiral bound, stand-up flipbook) was debuted at the Book Expo in Los Angeles, and will be making its way into maternity and gift shops, bookstores, and other locations nationwide. Books can also be ordered directly at www.motherlyway.com or by calling (877)MOMS-WAY.