Alex and Lauren have everything going for them. They live in New York City. They work in finance. Lauren graduated from Brown University, an Ivy League college. Alex grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, one of the United States’ richest towns. When Lauren gets pregnant in the fall of 2021, they’re ready. They have read all the books, followed all the blogs, talked to all the experts, built the nursery, lined up labor, and even arranged for postpartum doulas. In May of 2022, the couple leaves their cosseted confines in the Big Apple to travel to a friend’s wedding in Bozeman, Montana. Lauren is 34 weeks in—nearly at the finish line, but not so close that she ought to stay home, according to her doctor.

That turns out to be a miscalculation. A big one.

The morning after the wedding, as Alex sleeps off “at least a baker’s dozen of the groom’s signature cocktail, Old Fashioneds,” he is roused by Lauren: “Babe, I think my water just broke.” They don’t have a car, no one else is awake, and they are thousands of miles from their careful baby preparations. What follows is a rollicking account of their rush to a hospital, thirteen pins-and-needles days in a NICU unit, and a 2,100-mile cross-country journey in a 20-square-foot Amtrak sleeper unit with a newborn in tow.

To be clear: anyone looking for a Shakespearean tragedy or Chicken Soup for the Soul spiel will likely be disappointed. What Bisset offers instead is a Mr. Mom-esque romantic comedy with memorable quotes written in a casual prose that’s easy to spend an afternoon with: “Does any guy really know the difference between pumping bras, nursing bras, and maternity bras? Hell, no.” Amid the laughs, the author also educates the reader about things only parents of newborns would be aware of: for instance, who knew there were four levels of NICUs (or newborn intensive care units) in American hospitals? Bisset’s memoir even meditates, elevating the book beyond its comedic core: “It’s a feeling I will never forget. The feeling of belonging, of a responsibility fulfilled, of family, and of the strongest kind of love. The love for your child.” THE DESTINATION BIRTH is a fast, wild, and rewarding ride.

Alex Bisset’s THE DESTINATION BIRTH, an account of one couple’s unexpected childbirth, is a funny, feel-good tale.

~Anthony Aycock for IndieReader