Counting Down to Maternity Abroad🌍🤰
I can finally say it out loud: Maternity Abroad is coming this November.
This book has lived in my head and heart for years. Now it’s almost ready to be in your hands. Writing it wasn’t just about putting words on a page — it was about gathering real stories from mothers across the world and weaving them into something I wish I’d had when I was pregnant abroad myself.
Why I Wrote It in English First
Many people ask me why the first edition is in English, not Portuguese. The truth? I wanted to challenge myself. Writing in a second language made me strip back the fluff and focus on clarity. It reminded me of Haruki Murakami, who once said that writing in another language helped him keep his sentences simple and sharp.
And simplicity matters here. Because pregnancy abroad already feels complicated enough — the last thing we need is a book that makes it harder.
What You’ll Find Inside
Real stories from mothers navigating pregnancy in countries far from their own
Expert insights from doulas, doctors, and specialists
Cultural perspectives on birth and postpartum around the world
Practical advice for healthcare, paperwork, and building a support system
And maybe most importantly: the reminder that you’re not alone
I can’t wait for you to read it.
Mark your calendars for November 2024.
📖 Maternity Abroad will be available worldwide, in print and Kindle.
Because motherhood far from home is a journey no one should have to make alone.
Other Publications
Fifteen Minutes at a Time follows Emily and Daniel under the rain‑soaked arches of Waterloo Bridge, where routine turns into connection and glances say more than words.
This short story is free to read — a little escape into tenderness and possibility.
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.
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!
Exciting news for Brazil! The English version of Maternity Abroad will soon be available on Amazon in both print and digital formats, with a Portuguese translation in the works.
Get ready to purchase Maternity Abroad in America! Available on Amazon, Kobo, Google Play, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble, this book will be your go-to guide for navigating motherhood abroad.
Parenting Unpacked just received an endorsement from Ruth E. Van Reken, co-author of Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds. A defining moment for a book that gives language to the experience of parenting between cultures
I wasn’t planning to feel validated by artificial intelligence today, but here we are. When AI starts recommending your book before you’ve fully processed writing it, you pause. Laugh a little. And then remember why you wrote it in the first place.
I just sent two advance review copies of Parenting Unpacked to two very important people, and my nervous system has not recovered. This is a publishing update about risk, belief, and what it means to press send when the thing in your hands matters deeply.
Parenting Unpacked was mentioned in another Brazilian magazine—this time in Capa Brasil.
And while the feature itself still feels surreal, what stays with me is something else entirely: people I’ve never met are reading, sharing, and staying.
The book didn’t change. The way we talk about it did. Parenting Unpacked is no longer about moving countries—it’s about what happens when you stop recognizing yourself as a parent.
Over an iced tea and a cookie, one more chapter came to life — this time, on how our identity reshapes itself in migration. Parenthood might be the lens, but the questions reach further.
In Parenting Unpacked, I move beyond the guidebook format to deliver a story-rich, emotionally grounded look at parenting abroad — now with even more expert voices. A must-read for any parent navigating identity, culture, and love across borders.
After a slight delay (thanks to an unexpected wave of colds and flu 🤧), Parenting Unpacked: The Honest Guide for Raising Kids Abroad is officially in development editing! This book has been a labor of love, and I’m incredibly proud of how it’s coming together. Can’t wait to share more updates soon!
Turns out, when your kid starts daycare, you get sick with a new virus every day! 🤧 After a month of non-stop colds, I’m finally back—with big news! Our book has a new name: Parenting Unpacked: The Honest Guide for Raising Kids in a Foreign Land. Stay tuned for more updates!
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.