When a doctor pushed a shunt into her “unborn baby’s thorax to save his life from a deadly condition called hydrops”, Olivia Gordon and her husband had no way of knowing what other challenges would await them and their son before or after his birth.

Ground-breaking fields of medicine are making it possible for many children who would have died only a decade or two ago to survive and, in many cases, lead perfectly ordinary lives. These advances are also paving the way for a generation of parents who have to cope with the consequences of extremely difficult decisions that can result in unimaginable tragedy, lifelong commitment to special care for their children, or miraculous joy. Quite often the possibilities intertwine. Gordon guides us through this new world, taking into account her personal experience and impeccable research into the medicine and dedication that created it.

Written with immense integrity and sensitivity, this thought-provoking book not only made me revisit the choices I have made in my life, but also rethink my preconceptions about this topic. The First Breath is highly recommended for anyone considering their options as a parent, especially with all the progress modern medicine has to offer.

The First Breath: How Modern Medicine Saves the Most Fragile Lives

by Olivia Gordon

Pan Macmillan, 2019

Review first published in the Cape Times on 13 December 2019.