Beautifully written and heartbreaking story of the Wright family and their precious time with their gorgeous baby Teddy. Very hard to read in places and I am in awe of how Elle and Nico have come through the trauma of this. I thought the points of view of other family members was really well done too.

This book is incredibly moving. Elle Wright has written so openly and honestly about her experience of being pregnant and then giving birth to her beautiful baby boy, Teddy, who only lived for three days. Initially I wasn’t sure this book was for me as the writing style was very chatty but once I got into the first chapter I was engrossed in Elle’s story. I can’t even imagine what it is to go through what she has. I’ve experienced miscarriage and knowing I won’t ever have a child but that is incomparable to what Elle and her husband have been through. I loved how honest she is about how she felt along the way and also how she gives such straightforward advice on what to say if someone you love is going through the loss of a baby. I also love the way she honours Teddy and continues to encourage others to speak to her about him. I have such admiration for her. This is such a moving book to read but I’m glad I read it and I recommend it.

A very touching story written by Elle, They say to have loved and to have lost is better than not to have loved at all. But reading Teddy’s story is heartbreaking. I cannot comprehend how Elle and Nico have coped with the loss of Teddy. But sadly life goes on, and this book really makes you question how “that” is allowed to happen? By that, I mean life.

. Elle writes beautifully and shares her coping strategies, but most of all it’s the love that shared on every page that shines through.

Elle Wright had an admittedly easy pregnancy - her scans went well, she and her baby were healthy throughout, and in May 2016, she and her husband welcomed their son, Teddy, into the world. Just a few hours after giving birth, they woke to find a nurse holding a cold and unresponsive Teddy, who had stopped breathing during the night. The happiest day of Elle's life had turned into every parent's worst nightmare, and she had to let her beautiful baby boy go. Three days after delivering him into the world, Elle sat with Teddy in her arms as he took his last breaths, and tucked him in for the final time.

Wow this book is simply stunning. Wright has written a very powerful, moving account of her tragedy. I knew this would be a difficult read but I did not realise how emotive it would be, I was that person sat on public transport desperately blinking back tears. Despite this, I found myself filled with hope reading this, Wright's outlook is inspiring and beautiful and I adored her thoughts on events. This is a very hard read but also a very gripping read, I was immersed into Wright's life and simply could not put this down, getting to know Teddy and his family is an experience I will never forget.

I particularly liked how Wright has written this, of course this is about Teddy and her life after his death and yet Wright does not dwell on what happened, yes there is an overview but this is more about emotions and thoughts that were experienced and moving on and looking to the future. This is a very special book and one that I am not sure I will ever forget.

'Ask Me His Name' is very emotive, very powerful and very sad but this is so worth it. Despite feeling like the wrong thing to say, I adored this book and the way Wright has written it. Simply stunning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kings Road Publishing for an advance copy.

Ask Me His Name is one of those books that stays with you for a long time after you finish it. I finished it almost 24 hours ago and it has occupied many of my thoughts since in so many ways.

First of all, I want to say how much I think the author Elle Wright is amazing and incredibly strong. Having a child die at any age must be tough but to have a child die only a few days after birth is unimaginable and every parent’s worst nightmare.

Ask Me His Name made me laugh and cry many times. At some points I had to stop reading and go have a break because it was so emotive. Again, I can’t imagine what it was like to live through it.

I would recommend Ask Me His Name to anyone who has experienced the death of their child, for healthcare professionals and anyone who simply wants to partially understand how people feel after the death of a baby.

I found the behaviour of the bereavement midwife appalling. I was also frustrated by the outdated and inconsiderate comments from people expecting her to have a time limit on her grief or to grieve in a specific way.

Ask Me His Name is not a story about grief and loss, Ask Me His Name is about love.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars

This was clearly a labour of love, and no doubt writing it has been part of the therapeutic recovery process for the author.

It is written from the heart, and I’m sure will resonate with any parent who has experienced such a loss.

It’s part reflective account, part self help. I don’t think the sections on describing acupuncture, yoga and reflexology were needed as they interrupted the flow of the book.

I liked the end chapters from the perspective of the sad and extended family and perhaps these could have been more detailed.

Ask Me His Name is a book by Elle Wright, the blogger behind Feathering the Empty Nest. It tells Elle’s story as a mother who didn’t get to bring her baby boy, Teddy, home from the hospital. I won’t lie, it isn’t an easy read. I actually woke my partner up by sobbing into my kindle at gone midnight. But it’s beautiful, powerful and oddly enough quite funny in places (yes that sounds wrong when talking about a book such as this, but you’ll get it if you read it). It’s a story of courage and light in even the darkest times, fuelled by a mother’s love. Guaranteed to break your heart, but a must read that will stay with you long after you close the book.

The loss of a child is something no parent should have to go through but when they do - so many people are too scared to talk. How do you speak to someone who's baby didn't come home? Are you going to make it worse? Should you talk about the baby, use its name? After the loss of her own son, Teddy, Elle Wright wanted to do something. 

Wow, this book. It's hard to talk about because while it was a hard book, there were also times where I smiled. This is, ultimately, a message of hope, change and getting through something unimaginable. I actually first heard about the book in a news article and I felt I had to read it - partially because I know people who have lost babies. I wanted to try and see the world through their eyes. 

Elle does not hold back throughout. She takes us deep into how she felt at the time. From her joy to be pregnant, her wishes for her baby all the way to Teddy's struggles once born, holding her son as he passed and trying to make sense of her life after. She isn't afraid of hiding her pain but also her frustration at being put in a box for grieving mothers. 

Of course, this is a tough read. I needed to take quite a few breaks when reading it. While the book was beautifully written, of course, you do get very emotional. I felt my heart break for Teddy's parents, his family. I wanted to cry because this is sad, but every time I was picked up by the fundraising they undertook, the hope they had and ultimately, love. 

One of the best things about this book is that, at the end, we hear from the people who were around Elle - and also loved Teddy. We hear from Teddy's Dad, Grandma, Aunt. We often think of how heartbreaking this is for the parents, but you can guarantee that there are more people than we know who are touched by baby loss. 

To rate a book like this feels wrong, how can you rate someone's pain? You can't. That said, this was an incredible book, more than anything I want to thank Elle for sharing with us, for talking about Teddy. I can't say that I understand just from reading this book, but now I have insight. This is written in such a beautiful way, while it is raw it also shows a real warmth. I can't stop thinking about this book. Of course, it's a 5-star read, I think everyone should read this. 

Thank you to Elle, the publishers and Netgalley for my copy.

This book was a very emotional real,I needed tissues lots of them.it must be a very difficult subject to write about.it was quite difficult to read if I’m honest.it was informative,I think I would let my friends and relatives find this book for themselves.very interesting read.

This is one of the most difficult heartbreaking stories. Get your tissues at the ready.
Beautifully written yet very raw. Nothing is off limits. About life and death.