Most women expect to have a typical pregnancy, especially when they are told that everything is going well. This was the case for Karen up until a night when all which seemed certain was suddenly replaced with questions, including the fate of her child. Realizations about pregnancy, birth, infancy and future children shove previous visions of how life will be to the background to make permanent space for new, difficult truths. Karen provides a raw guide to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a place experienced by many parents but rarely explored narratively. Twenty-three Weeks is a love story between mother and child. It is a reflection on grief and compassion. It is a first person account of our human potential to withstand suffering and find honest acceptance.