Inspiring and Teaching through Love and Loss

My name is Nadia Reddy. I’m a Bay Area independent children’s book author/illustrator. My newest book is called Tiki ABC. I wrote this book for my twin babies; however, they will never read it because I miscarried with them four months into my pregnancy.

I carried them from August to December 2016. The day I was told they had no heartbeat, I walked out of the hospital and told my husband that I wanted to write something for them—and the idea for Tiki ABC popped into my head. So I began writing and illustrating the book as soon as I recovered from my D&C procedure.

The reason I wrote Tiki ABC is because when I was pregnant, I searched for a tiki-themed children’s book that I could read to them once they were born, but could not find one. I love tikis because my family is from the islands, and tiki is a big part of Polynesian culture. I also love the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland.

It took seven months from the time I had the idea for Tiki ABC to the time that it was a physical book in my hands. I worked day and night and poured so much love into this book. I didn’t realize until later that I had just created the first tiki children’s book in the world.

Being the first person to ever write a tiki-themed children’s book caught the attention of the tiki lifestyle community and has made an amazing impact on my life. My book is now in five stores throughout the Bay Area, and I am doing a book tour that will take me all the way down to San Diego in August.

My story is slowly getting out there and inspiring others. I have also helped more than 17,000 people by sharing my miscarriage story on YouTube. Men and women do not know what to expect when a miscarriage occurs, and it’s scary. So I shared what I went through and have had such a positive response. I am also speaking at schools throughout the Bay Area to students who need more positivity in their lives.

Losing my twins was hard, but I was not angry about it. My twins had complications, and my doctor even told me that he did not believe they would survive past four months. Throughout my pregnancy, I prayed for them to be happy and healthy. Considering what they would have gone through if they survived birth and then the surgery that would be required, my prayers were answered—and in return, my love for them and the heartache of loss transformed into something beautiful.