Stillbirth
Proof of Life
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth In a cedar lined dresser drawer in my bedroom, I keep a purple box the closes with a ribbon tie. It contains an impossibly tiny nightie and a sweet little hat that looks like it would fit a doll. These are the clothes my daughter Eliza wore in the hospital, after…
Read MoreTis the season… for grief
By: Sabrina Ivy The stockings are hung. The presents are wrapped. The menu is planned. And your heart is a mess. Not just a little mess. A giant, sticky, crazy, out of control mess. Am I right? You’ve got plans with family. Despite the hell you have experienced you feel obligated to carry on and…
Read MoreBitter or Better
By: Julie Linck December 4, 2001 was a blessing for our family as we welcomed our 2nd child and first daughter, Mia Suzanne at 38 weeks. Little did we know how quickly our lives would change when she suddenly passed away five days later, to what we learned afterwards was meningitis along with a significant…
Read MoreHolding Onto Hope This Holiday Season
By: Robyn Busekrus On December 6th, we attended the annual Angel of Hope Ceremony in our town of Washington, Missouri. Last year was our first year to participate and the grief was very raw. Being new to the event, we were not sure what to expect. I went through the motions of being there, but…
Read MoreThe Art of Letting Go, Dear Tahlequah
By: Kathy Gardner it was 17 days and 1,000 miles of carrying love, of carrying her — days and miles that I and so many others have traveled, too. everyone else seems so relieved this heartbroken mother has finally let go, but we loss moms know it just looks like letting go. the journey of…
Read MoreWe Are All Just Walking Each Other Home
By: Kathy Gardner the circle i find myself in now is small and narrow and sad i go round and round traveling with the other moms who have gouged their own eyes out, too the world has become too scary, too painful, too distorted to look at so we grab each others’ hands and lead…
Read MoreA Thief In The Night
By: Vernitta Walters Tuesday, December 12, 2017. The time had come, our “BIG” 20-week appointment! I was so excited and slightly apprehensive at the same time. Weeks leading up to the appointment, I kept telling myself, if I can just get past the 20-week appointment, I could breathe a sigh of relief. By then, I…
Read MoreHonoring Your Baby: Rituals and Daily Life
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth When my first daughter, Eliza, was stillborn, I felt paralyzed. Even a few months out from her death, I still didn’t know what to do that would feel like a proper way to honor her. Eventually, we did a variety of different things to honor her memory—and we continue to do…
Read MoreA New Season: Honoring Your Baby
By: Robyn Busekrus As the Fall season approaches, it is bittersweet. Fall has been my favorite season, but this year it has a somber feeling. This time last year, was such a time of joy as we were anticipating our son. The cool weather, the breezes, pumpkins and leaves falling are some aspects of fall…
Read MoreSpecial Dates and Red-Letter Days
By: Sabrina Ivy There’s a little girl dancing through my daydreams. She has long brown hair and a soft yellow dress. If I listen closely I can almost hear her giggling. I try to envision her features, but I can never see her face. Would she look like her sister or brother? Would she have…
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