One Pound, Twelve Ounces: A Preemie Mother's Story of Loss, Hope, and Triumph

(Paperback)

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Melissa Harriss dream of being a mother again shatters when a fertility doctor tells her she may never have another child due to a physical anomaly in her uterus. Determined to persevere, she undergoes nine surgeries and a year of fertility treatments until she finally gets a positive pregnancy testonly to miscarry both twins within the first fifteen weeks.

When what shes decided will be her last attempt results in her finally becoming pregnant, shes told that this baby, Sam, is also at risk. While lying in a hospital bed for six days, trying to get to the golden standard twenty-four-week gestation mark, Melissa makes a decisionshe will give this baby every chance to live, no matter what it takes.

One Pound, Twelve Ounces is the journey of one mothers determination to give her micro-preemie a fighting chance, and the story of that babys remarkable battle to survive.

Reviews

2022 Readers Favorite Book Awards Finalist in Non-Fiction (Womens)
2022 Eric Hoffer First Horizon Book Awards Finalist
2022 Eric Hoffer da Vinci Eye Award Finalist

Written with candor, Melissa Harriss memoir One Pound, Twelve Ounces is both harrowing and joyful in covering at-risk pregnancies and the experience of mothering a micro-preemie child.
Foreword Reviews

An articulate, poignant, and gritty family account. . .
Kirkus Reviews

Melissa Harris, the author ofOne Pound, Twelve Ounces, is perhaps one of the strongest women I have ever encountered in my life. Her determination and bravery in showcasing her darkest moments and intense fears deserve to be applauded a million times over.One Pound, Twelve Ouncesis the story of a mothers love and desperate desire for her baby to have his best chance at life, even when there was only a 20% chance of hope.
Readers Favorite, 5-star review

One Pound, Twelve Ounces is a gem of a book, filled with suspense, and humor, and heart.
Gayle Brandeis, author of The Book of Dead Birds

What Melissa went through to become a mother again and what Sam endured in his first year will leave you feeling inspired and hopeful. Its through stories like this that we humanize one another. A must read.
Aaron Wright, award-winning author of Thirteen Doors

Author Bio

Melissa Harris is a single mother of two children living in Oakland, California, where she was raised. She was on the fast track to being a partner in a mid-size ad agency when she gave birth to her second child, Sam, and the trajectory of her life changed. Melissa is now a work-from-home account manager for two virtual creative agencies in the Bay Area. In her free time, she drives kids from activities to appointments to playdates, volunteers at the neonatal intensive care unit at Alta Bates Hospital where Sam was born, and helps her congresswoman fight for better healthcare for all Americans. She lives in Oakland, California.