Information, support, and ideas on how to be a supportive friend to someone who loses a child to stillbirth, from a mom who has been through it
Dear friends, This is something you may not know: each month, there is a particular day on which I think of Charlie more. Not that I’m sad, per se, but he’s just on my mind more. It’s the day of the month he was born on – he was born in June 19th, so on
Continue Reading “10 Dates That Trigger Your Grieving Friend”
(topic: grief, memories, babies) Hi friends, It has lately become more and more noticeable to me that when I talk about Charlie, it’s usually in certain repetitive scenarios and often the same few facts and stories. The most common scenario is that I end up chatting with a stranger, or new acquaintance of some sort,
(Topic: Grief, dealing with grief, triggers, pictures, loss, stillbirth, pregnancy and infant loss) Hi Friends, Charlie was born on Father’s Day. This weekend is so, so hard for us, every year. It’s odd, how my mind works. It doesn’t know what date Thursday was that year, or Friday, or Saturday – I only remember the
(Topic: Grief, stories, pregnancy, music) Hi Friends, Recently I was looking for ways to mother Charlie (I’m feeling the need, since Charlie’s birthday is coming up next week on the 19th), and my therapist helped me brainstorm several things – and one of them that caught my fancy was to try writing again. But not
(Topics: Grief and Anxiety, mental health, Easter/Religion, cemeteries) Hi Friends, The other day, I spent the day with Charlie. I have been feeling really, really sad and overwhelmed lately. Sometimes, when I’m feeling heavy, it’s very hard for me to figure out why – and knowing why makes it easier for me to either live
(Topic: Age of deceased child, thoughts) Hi Friends, Charlie recently “turned” 2-1/2. He “wouldbe/is” a toddler to me, but what struck me that day was that I didn’t notice the day until it was nearly over (December 19th, the “half-birthday”). Early on, I noticed when the 19th came along, every month. I even noticed the
(Topic: Christmas/holidays, family, incorporating a deceased loved one in the celebrations) Hi friends! This year we traveled to family for the holidays. I had hoped to get this post done for Wednesday the 26th, right after Christmas, but with travel and getting the photos in the right places and ready, I got a bit behind
(Topic: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day 2018, wave of light candles) Hi Friends, I want to thank every one of you who lit a candle for a baby that was not your own, especially if you haven’t lost a baby yourself. If you think that one candle doesn’t make a difference, it does –
(topic: loss, grief, communication, helping) Introduction This is a post in my series of posts honoring Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. My goal is for these posts to be shareable – if you are a loss parent, I hope you find this post helpful to share with your friends to help them understand you,
Continue Reading “What can I say? Ideas on how to talk to and help a grieving friend”
(Topic: loss, grief, awareness) What is this Awareness Month? This month is a special one in the USA, but I don’t know if other countries officially observe it. Back in 1988, President Reagan specified October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month (Full text of the official declaration at this link). The idea is to
Continue Reading “Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month”