Skip to Main Content

Second Chance

A Mother's Quest for a Natural Birth after a Cesarean

Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

On the joyful day of her son’s birth, Thais Derich never questioned going to the hospital. A week later, she walked out physically, spiritually, and emotionally injured, and fully disabused of the idea that the medical field would ever put her best interests before protocol, money, and legal concerns. The next three years of her life were spent recovering from that day, and preparing herself to do things her way when she became pregnant again. And then she did get pregnant again—and that resolve was put to the test. A universal story about betrayal and trust and the roller coaster ride in between, Second Chance illuminates the many ways in which our healthcare system is broken when it comes to helping women give birth, and gives a voice to all the mothers who have walked away from their delivery experiences wondering what the hell just happened.

About The Author

Thais Derich was born in Carmel, CA. She is a graduate of California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and lived for two years in Belgium and France studying French before returning to live in California. After starting her own software training business and traveling the US teaching software at Fortune-500 companies, she and her husband decided to start a family, and she left the business to stay home full-time. While at home, she started a successful food blog, sold her healthy granola bars at Rainbow Grocery, and wrote Second Chance. Derich is published at Salon, BlogHer, BabyCenter, Literary Mama, Wild Violet Literary Magazine, Forge Journal, SFGate, and the San Francisco Examiner. A chapter of Second Chance was a finalist out of 500 entries for the Creative Non-Fiction Magazine’s baby anthology. She now lives in beautiful Marin County, where she is writing her second book and working at a lovely women’s coworking space called The Hivery.

Product Details

  • Publisher: She Writes Press (May 9, 2017)
  • Length: 256 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781631522192

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

2019 Independent Press Awards WINNER in the Women’s Health Category 2019 Body Mind and Spirit Book Awards WINNER in the Healing category 2019 Best Book Awards Finalist in Health (Women's Health) 2019 Readers' Favorite Awards, Honorable Mention in Nonfiction (Health/Medical) 2018 American Book Fest "Best Book" Award FINALIST in Women's Health 2017 Foreword Indies Finalist in Adult Nonfiction—Health “A cautionary, engaging, and informative medical account.” —Kirkus ReviewsSecond Chance reaches out to all expectant mothers and empowers them during the birth of their children, enabling them to grow in their spirituality, confidence, and power through birth . . . will make everyone look at the options of what should be done to make childbirth safer and healthier for women.” —Readers' Favorite 5-star review “This book is a beautiful, raw and poignant story of the role of birthing in women’s lives. It takes us on one women’s journey yet it is so real that it is almost impossible to not take it to heart as partly our own." —Erica Weiss,MD, Obstetrician/Gynecologist, San Francisco, California
"So many women today don’t believe that they have choices when it comes to giving birth – but Thais Derich shows us the way in her brave and beautifully written memoir. It is an important and timely story – a memoir full of heartache, resilience, and joy. My hope is that all women considering motherhood will find their way to Thais Derich’s book." —Melissa Cistaro, author of Pieces of My Mother, a NCIBA Best Nonfiction Book of 2015 winner
“I’ve read a lot of book-length birth stories, but Derich’s stands out as especially revealing of the weaknesses in our system.” —Ina May Gaskin, best-selling author and midwife
“An unbiased, highly transparent account of one woman’s journey through the labyrinth of emotions and experiences that can accompany the post-cesarean birthing woman within the U.S.” —Laquitha Glass, Former President of the International Cesarean Awareness Network
Second Chance is a beautiful telling of a mother’s journey and will be empowering to many women. The ending is so wonderful, I cried.” —Amy Graff, News Producer for SFGATE.com
“A raw and revealing memoir which illuminates the maze of emotions during birth.” —Maria Iorillo, Licensed Midwife (LM), Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), past first Vice President of the Midwives Alliance of North America and the Chairwoman of the California Association of Midwives

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images