Publisher: White Flowers Press (May 22, 2016)
Category: Self-Help, Grief & Bereavement, Parenting & Relationships, Spirituality, Healing from Loss
Tour dates: Oct/Nov, 2017
ISBN: 978-0982117644
ASIN: B01I2KD37Q
Available in Print & ebook, 130 pages
Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart
Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart: A Journey of Pregnancy, Grief and Infant Deathbreaks the lonely, silent suffering of bereaved mothers facing infant and pregnancy loss. Dianna Vagianos Armentrout details her pregnancy journey with her daughter, Mary Rose, who died an hour after birth of trisomy 18, a random genetic illness described as “incompatible with life.”
For five long months of pregnancy, she knew that her baby would not live and thrive, planning a funeral and seeking hospice for her unborn daughter. The heaviness of this grief, which most women bear alone, is shared here and will comfort mothers who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death.
With eloquent language, fierce honesty and a record of the rawness of grief, readers in the midst of their own suffering will recognize the path that bereaved parents walk. Dianna’s experiences with infertility, motherhood, infant loss and miscarriage infuse her writing with compassion for all women.
Through journal entries, essays and poetry, Dianna invites the reader to process grief and honor the life of the child, no matter how brief. In addition, readers will learn how to support the bereaved by remembering the baby and pregnancy.
Finally there is a book to honor the pregnancy, baby and loss, loving the children past their death, loving the wombs that nurtured them and accepting the sacred path of mothering children whose bodies are broken, but whose souls are intact and perfectly whole. This book shines with love and the knowledge that even the briefest life is holy.
Read it. Share it. Spread the word. We no longer have to grieve our infants and pregnancies alone.

PRAISE FOR WALKING THE LABYRINTH OF MY HEART BY DIANNA VAGIANOS ARMENTROUT


“This beautifully written story of loss, and redemption, is a must-have for anyone who has faced the devastation of losing a child. Yes, you will cry with Dianna, but you will also admire the beauty of her soul.”- Mary Potter Kenyon, author of ‘Refined By Fire’, ‘Chemo-Therapist’, ‘Mary and Me’, et al
“Pregnancy is often thought of (and typically is) a time filled anticipation and joy.  The deep, dark secret is this: pregnancies are sometimes lost.
Dianna Vagianos Armentrout, author of Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart, shows us the inner workings of that harsh reality. With beauty and rawness, she shows the innermost parts of her heart as she journeyed (and journeys) through the “diagnosis” of a Trisomy 18 baby. She shows us her emails, journals, poems, and the “art” of grieving. She explains that the loss of a child is not the end of loving that child. Nor is the grief something that goes away a few weeks after the funeral.
It is a heartfelt and honest read that I would highly recommend to any woman who has dealt or is dealing with a defect. It would also be beneficial to any woman who is dealing with the loss of a baby. Dianna writes the way her spirit is: open, raw, beautiful. She walks with every mother who has ever lost a child.”- Gloria Miles, Simple Miricles Birth Services
“Dianna Vagianos Armentrout takes the grief and heartache of her journey and creates a space that opens hearts. Dianna has written a seminal book that will resonate with those who know the primal pain of losing a child from stillbirth, miscarriage or newborn death. To moms reeling in deep grief, Dianna offers words and comfort and, in doing so, creates a circle of tear-stained realness, fortitude and big love. Brava! This book poignantly and beautifully sings the heart’s song of infant loss.”- Adele Ryan McDowell, Ph.D., author of ‘Making Peace with Suicide’ and ‘Balancing Act’
“Dianna is an amazing woman and a brilliant writer. This book is useful to anyone who has experienced an infant loss or anyone who supports families experiencing infant loss. The work that she is doing in sharing her story is so important to help give perspective and help move through the natural process of death.”-Mr. Books, Amazon Reviewer

ABOUT DIANNA VAGIANOS ARMENTROUTWalking the Labyrinth of My Heart by Dianna Vagianos Armentrout


Dianna Vagianos Armentrout is a published writer, teacher, workshop facilitator and poetry therapist. She graduated from Adelphi University’s Honors Program and earned her MAW from Manhattanville College. Dianna’s pregnancy with her daughter, Mary Rose, who died an hour after birth of trisomy 18, changed her life completely. Her blog, Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart, was launched in April 2015 as a way of offering support to others going through pregnancies with difficult and fatal diagnoses.
Dianna wishes to change the cultural fear of death and social awkwardness around the bereaved by educating others to be present and open to the natural process of death. Not knowing what to say is fine. Let’s sit together quietly not knowing what to say about our most difficult and sacred losses, because a loving community is vital to the healing of the bereaved in our broken world. Dianna volunteers with Isaiah’s Promise as a peer minister, and can’t help sending “Healing Companion” cards to mothers facing pregnancy and newborn losses.
Dianna’s poems, short fiction and essays have been published in several journals and anthologies, including The Vermont Literary Review, The Connecticut Review, The Dos Passos Review, Melusine or Women in the 21st century, Sacred Fire Magazine, Sensations Magazine, and Inkwell. She has taught at Southern Connecticut State University, Quinnipiac University and The Graduate Institute, and has facilitated poetry workshops in the tri-state area. As a poet and teacher, she believes that everyone has the inherent gift of poetry. Her workshops create the space for people to be still and access their own words, images and metaphors as they step into their healing.
She lives at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. When she isn’t writing or reading, she spends her time outdoors walking and gardening. Dianna also tinkers with recipes for paleo cookies and shares them with those around her.

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Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Oct 17 Kickoff & Giveaway
Katy Amazon Review Oct 18 Review
Donna My Life One Story At a Time Oct 23 Excerpt & Giveaway
Pamela S Thibodeaux Nov 11 Spotlight
Don Amazon Review Nov 14 Review
Lu Ann Rockin’ Book Reviews Nov 21 Review, Guest Post & Giveaway
Cremona Mythical Books Nov 22 Guest Post
Sheila’s Guests and Reviews Nov 29 Review & Guest Post
*This schedule is subject to change
Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart by Dianna Vagianos Armentrout














My Review:

I am always sad to hear about the loss of a child. The loss of a newborn is devastating and can change a person's life. To see your child and to feel your child inside you. to wait for him or her and to think of names. then the heartbreak of loss. Your marriage can also suffer and most marriages will never be the same. Most women will never be the same. I thought about all this and so much more as I was reading this book. The author has to be a strong woman. To write about a child dying is fiction is sad, in a memoir is unimaginable for me. The format was different, and not just chapters, but rather notes and journal entries. Each word is written with love. I could feel the emotions that the author was going through and felt them as well. This is a fantastic book (on a sad subject) for anyone going through the same thing. It would even be beneficial for relatives of friends of women going through the same thing. I am giving this book a 5/5. I wish the author blessings in the future. All opinions are my own.