Barrie Poetess releases debut book, charting her first pregnancy

A local poet has put pen to paper on a debut book that is smart, honest, and relatable for moms around the world.

Bearing Fruit, by Barrie poetess Tyneisha Ternent, is a collection of poems from her first pregnancy that goes beyond the cuddly association we have with pregnancy and lands on the other side, "the real side."

"Putting my work out to the world is such a surreal feeling. Excitement combined with anxiety would be a great way to describe it. I always dreamed of publishing a book, ever since I was kid I would be writing songs, poems or stories. "I've always had a way with words, and felt like it was my purpose to share them," Ternent said.

She asks herself some very common questions; is she good enough to be a mom? will she lose the pregnancy weight? She also looks beyond that though. Ternent dives into forgiveness, stress, anxiety, discomfort, wonder, and love.

"I hope that other moms get some comfort from reading my book. People usually only talk about the good times during pregnancy like the pregnancy glow, gender reveals and shopping trips for tiny humans. But, being pregnant is hard! It's emotional, it's scary and it can be so unpredictable. I wanted to show the other side, the real side of pregnancy. I want women to read this and realize just how strong they are physically and mentally for everything they went through to make their baby arrive safely."

Ternent wants women to relive their own pregnancy experiences after reading her book. "I want women who are thinking about getting pregnant to have a better understanding of what to expect. This book shows both the good and the bad, but still highlights the amazingness that pregnancy and motherhood brings," she said.

The Barrie poetess plans to use the book as a catalyst to do more spoken word events and performances locally, throughout Simcoe County. She also has book number two already in the works.

Photo credit: @rachelbowmanphotography