Behind the Scenes with Luciana Gomide: Final Touches on “Maternity Abroad”
Luciana Gomide, author of In Brazil and My Faraway Grandparents, played a key role in shaping my new book Maternity Abroad. With her experience as a writer, immigrant, and mother, Luciana helped me make sure this isn’t just another guide — it’s a book that speaks to the heart as much as the mind.
About Luciana Gomide
Luciana has been living in Canada since 2019 and has over a decade of experience creating educational content and working with publishers. Her books have already reached thousands of readers around the world:
In Brazil (2022) sold over 3,000 copies in 34 countries.
My Faraway Grandparents (2024), now available in English, continues her mission of telling stories that connect families across borders.
Her thoughtful feedback shaped Maternity Abroad into a resource that is both practical and deeply empathetic.
Why Luciana’s Involvement Matters
When you’re expecting a baby in a country that’s not your own, information alone isn’t enough. You need reassurance. You need honesty. You need to know you’re not alone. Luciana’s perspective helped refine each chapter so that this book can offer all three.
What “Maternity Abroad” Offers
Imagine standing in a hospital corridor where no one speaks your language. You don’t know if your partner will be allowed in the delivery room. You’re not sure how to ask for skin‑to‑skin contact or even what’s considered “normal” here. The fear isn’t just about giving birth — it’s about doing it alone, in a culture you’re still trying to understand.
This is the hidden side of motherhood abroad: the silence, the uncertainty, the ache of missing your support system. Too often, women walk into one of the most important days of their lives carrying not just a baby, but also the heavy weight of doubt and fear.
Maternity Abroad was written for you — to turn that fear into confidence and that loneliness into connection. Through real stories of mothers who’ve walked this path, and honest reflections on the cultural shocks and small victories of pregnancy and birth in another country, this book is both a guide and a companion.
Because becoming a mother far from home shouldn’t mean doing it without a map — or without someone holding your hand.
🌍 Available worldwide..
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Emily never planned to meet Daniel. And yet, day after day, under the arches of Waterloo Bridge, routine becomes ritual — and ritual becomes something more. It’s not fireworks. It’s the quiet kind of love that sneaks up on you, the one you almost miss if you’re not paying attention.
✨ A gift for my readers — completely free.
👉 Read it now and let yourself fall in love, fifteen minutes at a time.
🌍 Parenting abroad isn’t just logistics — it’s identity, belonging, and the quiet work of building a home away from home. Parenting Unpacked is here to hold your hand through it.
✨ Coming soon — sign up to be the first to know.
When a Brazilian journalist described Maternity Abroad: Becoming a Mother in a Foreign Land as “a bestseller in many countries,” it felt like a full-circle moment — recognition from home.
I was having dinner with a friend when she tried something on her phone. She typed in a situation. The response came back instantly: “Written for exactly your situation.” Those words were written by AI, and they confirmed something I had been noticing for months.
Discover how Maternity Abroad found a home at Livraria Tesouro in Crissier, Switzerland. A literary moment connecting expat moms and immigrant readers seeking belonging.
Maternity Abroad: Becoming a Mother in a Foreign Land” is now available for free reading at the Municipal Library of Maia in Portugal. This heartfelt guide brings real stories from immigrant mothers, offering practical tips and emotional support for navigating motherhood far from home.
I’m overjoyed to share that Maternity Abroad: Becoming a Mother in a Foreign Land has found its way to readers in India!
Maternity Abroad is making waves! In just two weeks, my book has sold copies across four continents—North America, South America, Europe, and Asia—including the U.S., Brazil, UK, and India. Don't miss out—grab your copy and stay tuned for my next book, Parenting Abroad: Thriving Together in a Foreign Land.
Your guide to navigating pregnancy abroad is here—Maternity Abroad is now available worldwide!
Pregnant abroad? Discover the secrets to navigating healthcare and prenatal care with ease in Maternity Abroad!
The official book cover of Maternity Abroad is finally here! With vibrant pink and purple hues, Canadian cover artist Ashley beautifully reflects femininity and positive energy, embodying the spirit of becoming a mother in a foreign land.
At an event about African traditions, I learned the meaning of “teranga” — a Senegalese word that’s less about hospitality and more about presence, care, and intention. Since then, it’s stayed with me and continues to shape the way I write and connect.
I finally figured out why social media started to feel so heavy: AI everywhere. I use it too, but lately it’s been drowning out my own voice. Here’s how I’m choosing less polish and more presence, because I don’t want to just post, I want to connect.
I hit a wall with social media. The constant pressure to post and scroll left me drained, so I’ve decided to step back. I’ll be here, on my blog — writing honestly, without the noise.
It took a while to get approved, but we made it! My official Amazon Author page is now up and running — with a multilingual bio and space to follow new releases, wherever you are in the world.
Your guide to navigating pregnancy abroad is here—Maternity Abroad is now available worldwide!
The official book cover of Maternity Abroad is finally here! With vibrant pink and purple hues, Canadian cover artist Ashley beautifully reflects femininity and positive energy, embodying the spirit of becoming a mother in a foreign land.
The Portuguese translation of Maternity Abroad is underway, with Karine Ribeiro, known for translating Viola Davis’s memoir and Tupac’s biography, bringing this essential guide to expat mothers in Brazil and Portugal.
Maternity Abroad is one step closer to release as it enters the formatting and cover design stage—get ready for an amazing journey into motherhood abroad!
Juggling diapers, deadlines, and daycare runs, life as an expat writer and mom is a chaotic yet rewarding adventure fueled by love and lots of coffee.
Brazilian readers, get ready! Danielle Sales and Ellen Maria Martins de Vasconcellos are bringing 'Maternity Abroad' to life in Portuguese. It's the crème de la crème of translations!
Exciting news! “Maternity Abroad” is heading to copy editing and will soon be available for all mothers around the world!
Maternity Abroad is coming this November — a heartfelt guide for moms-to-be living abroad, filled with real stories and practical support.
Becoming a mother abroad is both beautiful and daunting. In Maternity Abroad, I share real stories, expert insights, and the comfort every expat mom deserves.
Jessica Gabrielzyk is a Brazilian writer living in Switzerland. She moved there with her husband and daughter, who was three months old at the time and had strong opinions about the whole thing even then.
She writes about change.
The visible kind and the kind that happens inside a person, while everything on the outside looks fine.
Her first book, Maternity Abroad, explored what it means to become a mother far from the system you trusted. It has reached readers in more than fifteen countries across five continents. Parenting Unpacked, her second book, follows the experience of parenting through major life disruption, whether that's an international move, a career loss, a new baby, or a life that simply stops responding the way it used to. My First American Coloring Book was created to help toddlers engage with daily life in the United States through play and familiar imagery.
She is a member of SIETAR, the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research, and the International Academy of Brazilian Literature.
She writes for the parent who is still inside it, getting through the day, and wondering somewhere underneath all of it who they are becoming.
When she is not writing, she is walking forty minutes uphill with a stroller, telling herself the exercise is the point.
A late night scroll led to something unexpected. A reader shared my book Maternity Abroad with someone facing the fear of giving birth in a foreign country. It was quiet, generous, and exactly why this book exists.