The Repeated Trial of Pregnancy

The Time Traveler's Wife

This thread reframes the couple’s reproductive struggle as a conflict between hope, bodily danger, genetic inheritance, and acceptance.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Very Small Shoe The Very Small Shoe from "The Time Traveler's Wife". The Very Small Shoe Clare imagines a child everywhere Clare’s desire for a baby grows into vivid dreams and heightened attention to children she encounters in…

The Very Small Shoe from "The Time Traveler's Wife". The Very Small Shoe Clare imagines a child everywhere Clare’s desire for a baby grows into vivid dreams and heightened attention to children she encounters in…

The Very Small Shoe Clare imagines a child everywhere Clare’s desire for a baby grows into vivid dreams and heightened attention to children she encounters in daily life. She imagines a child as someone who will remain when Henry disappears. The imagined child carries fear Henry wants a family but fears passing on his condition. Their hope is therefore inseparable from the possibility that a child may inherit danger rather than security.

A Body Recognizes Pregnancy A Body Recognizes Pregnancy from "The Time Traveler's Wife". A Body Recognizes Pregnancy A seventh pregnancy begins Clare becomes pregnant after Henry’s vasectomy and experiences severe morning sickness.

A Body Recognizes Pregnancy from "The Time Traveler's Wife". A Body Recognizes Pregnancy A seventh pregnancy begins Clare becomes pregnant after Henry’s vasectomy and experiences severe morning sickness.

A Body Recognizes Pregnancy A seventh pregnancy begins Clare becomes pregnant after Henry’s vasectomy and experiences severe morning sickness. Medical support aims to help her body accept the pregnancy. Hope returns with caution Unlike earlier attempts, this pregnancy progresses, but neither partner can forget the repeated losses. Each new sign of life brings relief and renewed fear.

The Ultrasound The Ultrasound from "The Time Traveler's Wife". The Ultrasound A daughter appears on screen At eighteen weeks, Henry and Clare attend an ultrasound with Amit Montague.

The Ultrasound from "The Time Traveler's Wife". The Ultrasound A daughter appears on screen At eighteen weeks, Henry and Clare attend an ultrasound with Amit Montague.

The Ultrasound A daughter appears on screen At eighteen weeks, Henry and Clare attend an ultrasound with Amit Montague. They learn that the baby is a girl and watch her suck her thumb. A visible future briefly reassures The image turns a feared abstraction into a particular child. For a moment, the parents can imagine a daughter rather than a series of possible losses.

A Birth Under Pressure A Birth Under Pressure from "The Time Traveler's Wife". A Birth Under Pressure Labor tests Clare and Henry Clare faces a long, painful delivery while Henry tries to remain present.

A Birth Under Pressure from "The Time Traveler's Wife". A Birth Under Pressure Labor tests Clare and Henry Clare faces a long, painful delivery while Henry tries to remain present.

A Birth Under Pressure Labor tests Clare and Henry Clare faces a long, painful delivery while Henry tries to remain present. A brief disappearance intensifies the fear that their most important shared event may become another separation. Alba arrives alive Henry returns to receive his daughter, and Clare holds the newborn. The birth fulfills a desire built through repeated grief without making the family’s inherited condition disappear.

The Safety Net Question The Safety Net Question from "The Time Traveler's Wife". The Safety Net Question Henry acts before he can be asked Henry gives Kendrick access to Alba’s genetic material without first telling Clare.

The Safety Net Question from "The Time Traveler's Wife". The Safety Net Question Henry acts before he can be asked Henry gives Kendrick access to Alba’s genetic material without first telling Clare.

The Safety Net Question Henry acts before he can be asked Henry gives Kendrick access to Alba’s genetic material without first telling Clare. He wants research underway in case Alba later wishes to reduce her time displacement. Parenting becomes a moral conflict Clare objects to the secrecy and fears experimental treatment. Henry argues that he is trying to give Alba a choice, while Clare insists that her daughter must make that choice herself when old enough.

Spring 1996

February 20, 2001

April 19, 2001

September 5–6, 2001

July 14, 2006