To say I was fearful after my daughter died would be an understatement. I was suddenly acutely aware that anyone I loved could be taken at any moment. The fear and anxiety were relentless. It was less of “Life is precious,” and more of “This could be the last time we ever speak, hug, see…
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The Gift Of Connection
Continue...I never felt more myself than the day I arrived at a retreat for mothers who experienced the loss a child. I walked in and looked around to see other moms just like me. Their stories were different, their experiences were unlike mine, but the result was the same; they were living life without one…
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Pregnancy After Loss is Complicated
Continue...After my daughter died, I quickly became pregnant with my son. I had so much love in my broken heart with no place to put it, having another baby seemed the only solution. I knew another baby wouldn’t replace her, but I desperately ached for a baby to love in my arms. Considering a pregnancy…
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Child Loss Is Not Past Tense
Continue...Condolences speak to the loss of a child as if it is past tense, an event we once had but are no longer experiencing. Losing a child is not a one-time event. Their death and the loss of your child from your life continues to be experienced over and over and over again. There are…
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Nurturing Your Relationship Through Broken Hearts
Continue...Navigating loss as a couple is not simple. It’s difficult, painful, and lonely. Experiencing the severe loss of a child can rock any relationship to its core. Your grief has changed both of you and it takes time, patience, and grace to get to know each other post-loss. After your heart has been shattered, both…
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7 Ways To Support A Grieving Friend
Continue...Watching a friend experience the loss of their baby and the grief that remains can feel so helpless. Unfortunately, there isn’t a “one-size fits all” approach to support a grieving friend through loss, but there are many ways to be supportive. When my daughter died at 33-days-old, it was the first loss of this type…
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Hope, Despair, and Being Honest
Continue...Hope does not come naturally to the grieving, it’s definitely not the default setting. Reading about others hope is good, it’s uplifting and inspiring. But, it doesn’t often tell the painful truth about the path it takes to get there. What about the early days when you are drowning in a sea of despair? When…