Posts Tagged ‘Brooke Taylor Duckworth’
Unimaginable: Life After Baby Loss
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth This is an excerpt from a recently-published book by Sharing Magazine contributor Brooke D. Taylor. Unimaginable: Life After Baby Loss is now available on Amazon. It tells the story of surviving the death of her first daughter, navigating the complexities of life after pregnancy loss, and discovering that grief can somehow…
Read MoreGrief, Hope, and YOGA
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth Before my daughter died, I didn’t understand that grief was a physical sensation. I knew what it meant to “feel sad,” but I had never grieved like this before. This was a whole-body experience. This was a constant headache, chronic tension from clenching my teeth and tightening my jaw. My body…
Read MoreGrieving Now and Grieving Then
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth I studied Victorian literature in graduate school, and alongside the novels I read, I learned a great deal about culture in Victorian England. Nineteenth-century Britain was fascinating to me—particularly in all of its contrast with our contemporary society. The strictly gendered spheres for men and women, the uncomfortable clothing, the formal…
Read MoreMoving When You’re Stuck
Taking a step towards healing.
Read MoreWhen You’re Not Feeling Well on Mother’s Day
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth In the months after my first daughter was unexpectedly stillborn, I began to get used to the weight of grief. I became familiar with that sense of stumbling around in a fog, the air around me feeling thick with my own unshed tears. I grew accustomed to the way my throat…
Read MoreThe Soul-Sucking (Or Soul-Saving) Space of Social Media
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth When my daughter died, I dropped off of Facebook. For me, Facebook had been a breezy, easy way to interact with people without getting into any of the harsh realities of life. I definitely used it to present the highlight reel—funny moments, the occasional witty observation, and photos to record the…
Read MoreProof 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 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 MoreSeeking Guidance From a Professional Therapist
By: Brooke Taylor Duckworth This month, I wanted to ask a professional therapist about coping with baby loss, and no one seemed better equipped to discuss this subject than a therapist who is also a bereaved mama. My friend, Lindsey Antin, is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Berkeley, California. We became friends through…
Read MoreHealthy Grieving
By: Maria Carella The grief process takes enormous physical, mental and emotional energy. This process is not linear or orderly, and it is unique to each person. Some days it feels like a full time job, a minute-to-minute experience of competing thoughts, feelings and images. Other days it feels more manageable. Healthy grieving is a…
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