I thought I knew what grief and mourning were before our son died. In my mind’s eye, I always imagined it was a period of time where one feels deep sorrow for the passing of a loved one, whether it be a family member or friend. I imagined the grief would eventually come to an…
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4 Lessons Grief Taught Me in My First Year After Loss
Continue...The first year after pregnancy, infant, or child loss can be so hard. Nothing is the way it should be, and grief can feel like being lost in a wilderness with no map or compass. Here are a few things I learned in my first year after loss. Hopefully, they can help you find your…
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Why Awareness Matters
Continue...October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. This is my first time being a member of the loss community during this time, and I have spent a great deal of time wondering why this awareness is important to me. To explain my thought process, I probably should back up a bit. We…
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YOU ARE ENOUGH: An Open Letter to the Newly Grieving
Continue...You didn’t choose this story; no one ever would. You have been broken open and made to feel pain that you didn’t know humans were capable of withstanding. You have been handed that which exists in every parent’s nightmare and are now expected to function in this world that suddenly feels unfamiliar. You have outlived…
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- Causes
- Child Loss
- Complicated Grief
- Dealing With Others in Grief
- Doing Good
- Grief
- Miscarriage
- Multiple Loss
- Neonatal Loss
- Recent Loss
- SIDS
- Stillbirth
- Supporting a Friend After Loss
- Supporting a Friend Through Loss
Gifts for the Newly Bereaved Parent
Continue...As a bereaved mother and the director of a charity that supports families who have experienced infant loss, I have had numerous questions from friends and families about what types of memorial gifts, comfort items they can purchase, or just what more they can do when someone close loses a child. While there are so…
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Lying-In After Pregnancy or Infant Loss
Continue...Navigating the Postpartum Period After Loss For most bereaved moms, a pregnancy that ends in loss shatters the plans we made for life after giving birth. We don’t know what to what to do when we come home empty-armed. What is considered “normal” when our outcome is far from normal? Decisions about returning to…
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My Pregnancies Ended but My Love Lives On
Continue...I waited in eager anticipation. I’d taken numerous pregnancy tests. I had a blood test. I had a very confirmed pregnancy and now it had come to the moment where we’d see/hear the heartbeat. The technician was a little quiet and spent a lot of time measuring things on the screen. Something didn’t feel right…
