Expecting Wonder: The Transformative Experience of Becoming a Mother by Brittany L. Bergman

Author Brittany Bergman is aware of the irony that, even as the market is flooded with books about pregnancy and expectations placed on new moms, hers is yet another book on that theme. However, Bergman offers a fresh perspective on the topic. As she read books on pregnancy, she found that “many of those pages approach pregnancy as a medical condition to be managed rather than as a transformation, a transition, a sacred moment in time to be savored and celebrated.” Her book is an attempt to do the latter by sharing stories about the transformative physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of her pregnancy journey and that of other women. 

Bergman asserts that God is in control of creating the gift of new life. With candid vulnerability, Bergman shares her history with an eating disorder and how that affected her as her body changed during pregnancy. God didn’t deliver her from every fear and take away all her doubts. Rather, she says, “These are the stories of how I wrestled with God, how I marveled at God’s design but struggled to trust in it, how I delighted in God’s goodness but didn’t always believe it.”

Bergman is clear that besides giving birth to a child, “there are many ways in which women become mothers, each one beautiful and significant.” By whichever means that happens, Bergman hopes that women will find in Expecting Wonder a helpful guide for navigating their transition into motherhood. Practical and insightful, Bergman’s book does just that. (Broadleaf Books)