*Trigger Warning – Pregnancy and Infant Loss*
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. This was instituted by Ronald Reagan in 1988 with the understanding that healing can come from acknowledgement and awareness.
- 1 in 4 women will lose a baby during pregnancy, delivery or in infanthood
- 1 in 160 pregnancies will end in a stillbirth (www.starlegacyfoundation.org)
Every loss is unfathomable and tragic, and every one deserves recognition and remembrance. Whether you have gone through a loss yourself or whether it is a close friend or family member that is walking through this reality, there is help and healing available. I have asked two close friends to share resources that aided them (and other mothers that they know.) Our prayer is that this resource would help others to find healing and hope too. This is a collection of 11 pregnancy and infant loss resources and remembrance items for grieving mothers.
Resources:
Grayce And Kindness – This blog/Instagram account is run by Lexi, who (along with her husband) desires to share the hope and healing their hearts have found after losing their son Grayson. She shares on her website: “We are dedicated to families that are fighting the sadness brought by the loss of a child. We hope to help point you to God, His grace, so that you might also have assurance in where your child is today. We want you to connect with other moms and dads who have experienced loss and encourage one another to choose grace. Share the story of your child, find comfort in knowing you are not alone, and ask for prayer as you continue to cope.” Find her posts on Instagram or her website: www.grayceandkindness.com
Grace & Ollie – This IG account was started by Caitlin from a heart that desires to be “a resource for moms who are hurting and the people in their lives who are trying to walk through grief with them.” Find her thoughts here: www.instagram.com/grace_et_ollie
Liam Lives Foundation, Inc. – Liam Lives Foundation was started by Dr. Tiffanie L. Williams after she lost her son Liam at 20 weeks of gestation. She began this organization to help other mothers find the support they need during a loss. Their services include: Monthly Support Group, Liam’s Closet, Memory Boxes, Education and Advocacy, and Financial Support Services. Their website says: “Liam Lives Foundation is a faith based, non-profit charitable organization, which seeks to provide counseling and supportive services to families who have suffered from pregnancy and infant loss due to early miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, neonatal, and post-neonatal death. The foundation also seeks to bring about community awareness and promote education surrounding the topic of pregnancy and infant loss to encourage dialogue and healing.” Find more details on their website: www.liamlivesfoundationinc.org
“What To Expect When You’re Expecting” – While this website/app is most commonly used to track pregnancy progress, there is an option to report a loss within the app. This feature then gives access to a large forum where other mothers give support, answer questions, and share experiences about miscarriage, stillbirth, and loss. Besides the emotional support, the forum offers practical advice for walking through the physical/bodily process of a loss. (The forum is also accessible by searching for the term “loss” in the “groups” section of the search bar as this photo shows.) Find more details at this link: www.whattoexpect.com
Shops/Remembrance Items:
My Pretty Peggy – Erin paints the most beautiful and detailed peg remembrance dolls. She shares on her website: “I love painting every order, but the item I’m most passionate about are my baby loss dolls. After 7 miscarriages of my own, I feel uniquely equipped to talk with these special customers about their grief and guide them in creating one-of-a-kind, pocket-sized keepsakes to carry with them as they journey through life after loss.” Find more details on her Instagram or on her website: www.myprettypeggy.com** An anonymous donation can also be placed on her site to purchase these listings for others.
Aloha, Ka’ala – Ka’ala is an author and creative who uses her lived experiences, culture, heritage, and faith to speak life to others. She has published several books that serve to bring healing to those walking through grief. Seeds, her poetry chapbook, touches on themes of “love, loss, and healing.” She also has created four beautiful intentionality journals that contain self-reflection prompts for guided journaling. Her website says: “Creative writing was an enjoyment as well as a coping method for loss. This passion expanded to songwriting and poetry. Her words reflect her faith in God, living authentically and intentionally, growing from and through grief, and celebrating life in gratitude.” Find more details on her Instagram or on her website: www.alohakaala.com
A Thread Runs Thu It – (Currently closed for orders) Sarah began her shop with a heart to bring healing to other families who have had a loss through sculpting detailed angel baby keepsakes. She shares on her website: “We began creating them for grieving parents around the world who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, neonatal loss, pregnancy loss, infant loss – or any form of baby loss. Sculpting these remembrance keepsakes and memorial ornaments has helped me so much in healing from my own loss. It helps me to cope by being able to bring just a tiny bit of comfort to other parents and families who are grieving the loss of a baby and older loved ones too.” Find more details on her website: www.etsy.com/shop/athreadrunsthruit/
Kaylay Design – McKayla is an incredible maker who creates string art and digital art. She truly cares about her customers and their unique stories. Her shop is currently closed but she continues to offer string art ultrasound pieces as well as many digital art pieces related to loss. She shares on her website that: “Something that really put the love in perspective for me is this, ‘You never arrived in my arms, but you will never leave my heart.’ The heart in this ultrasound represents so much. It represents your baby, it represents your love, it represents your heart, and it represents their heart.” Find more details on her Instagram: @kaylaydesign
A Beautiful Remembrance – Lisa is the owner of this shop/remembrance account. She has walked through 8 miscarriages and now ministers to other moms walking through infertility and loss. She maintains heavenly birthday lists and infertility prayer lists, and offers a variety of remembrance prints in her shop. She says on her website: “I have a heart to reach out to hurting mamas who have lost their babies at different stages, miscarriage, still birth or little lives cut short. These little ones will never be forgotten and will be forever in our hearts.” Find more details on her website: www.abeautifulremembrance.com
The Noble Paperie – This card and sticker business was started by Kate, the founder and creative director, after walking through a miscarriage and high-risk pregnancy and NICU stay. Their original cards were made for moms who have miscarried but the brand has grown to include cards for all forms of loss and pregnancy-related challenges. Their website says: “Our mission is to spread joy and hope to those with a mama’s heart: who are struggling through miscarriage, infertility, and other pregnancy-related issues. We believe that becoming a mother starts when you prepare your heart to have children—not the actual manifestation of a child. Our paper products are designed with love and care to support, advocate for, and inspire a community to live with joy through the journey.” Find more details on their site: www.thenoblepaperie.com
Borrowing Color – Beginning in December 2018, I began carrying angel baby dolls for mothers who had walked through any sort of loss. It was a privilege and an honor to be invited into sharing and remembering each individual story and child. Last year, I transitioned to creating angel baby loss necklaces in my shop. I have created this design in the hope that it can be worn close to a mother’s heart and be a tangible reminder of their child. Find more details on my website: www.borrowingcolor.com
Loss of any form is a pain that is indescribable. My prayer is that every mama who has lost a child will find healing in the days to come. I’d like to leave you with these words of hope from Erin at My Pretty Peggy:
“I believe it is no accident that when God planned his greatest demonstration of love for us – when He showed all He would sacrifice just to bring us home – He put a story of child loss right in the center. Earth is filled with damaged chromosomes, accidents and illness. He’s got a better place planned though. Now I’m finally in a place where I can say, ‘Yes, Death stole my babies but He did what He did to steal them back from Death’ and I find that deeply reassuring.”
Credit:
Many thanks to Erin Cherry and Ka’ala M.B. for sharing these resources and shops that they have discovered on their personal journeys through loss. I am grateful to you both for your grace, kindness, friendship, and the ways that you challenge me to pursue the Lord.
xo Alex
Borrowing Color 
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