Upon returning home from the hospital after having lost my precious twin babies who were born pre-term, I felt so alone. So scared. So broken. My daughter was born stillborn, and my son lived only a few minutes after being born.
I was completely uneducated about stillbirth and pregnancy loss and had no idea that there were so many helpful resources out there that could have helped me in the aftermath of my losses.
By God’s grace, I somehow ended up figuring out how to survive, but if I had known about and taken advantage of the valuable resources out there, it would have greatly helped me. If you or someone you love has experienced stillbirth or infant loss, you’ll want to be sure to look into these resources.
1. The Finley Project
The Finley Project’s mission is to provide care for mothers who have experienced the loss of an infant through a 7-Part Holistic Program. The Program aims to support each mother physically, emotionally, and spiritually without any financial burden. The Finley Project’s 7-Part Holistic Program includes assistance with funeral arrangements, grocery gift cards, house cleaning, massage therapy, support group placement, one-on-one counseling, and a personal support coordinator.
I have known a couple of people personally who have gone through their program and they found it enormously helpful.
2. No Footprint Too Small
No Footprint Too Small provides grieving families with care packages, weighted memory bears, guidance with burial/funeral arrangements, and/or financial assistance for burial/funeral expenses, all at little to no cost. Their provision of weighted memory bears is huge because one of the most popular places for families to order weighted teddy bears from, Molly Bears, recently announced that they will be closing, so I am really pleased to find that there are other places out there, like No Footprint Too Small, that are there to continue meeting this need within the loss community.
No Footprint Too Small also offers a monthly support group as well as remembrance events throughout the year.
3. Now I lay Me Down To Sleep
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep provides grieving parents with photography services: priceless images in black and white are provided to the parents through an intimate portrait session. This is invaluable!
4. M.E.N.D. (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death)
M.E.N.D. is a Christian, non-profit organization that reaches out to families who have suffered the death of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death. They offer a variety of monthly support groups, including an online support group, publish bi-monthly magazines, have very active Facebook groups for families to connect with each other, host annual remembrance ceremonies, and give presentations to healthcare providers on how to care for families when a baby dies.
5. Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support
Share is a community for anyone who experiences the tragic death of a baby. They serve parents, grandparents, siblings, and others in the family, as well as the professionals who care for grieving families. It is a national organization with over 75 chapters in 29 states. Their services include bed-side companions, phone support, face-to-face and online support group meetings, resource packets, private online communities, comfort kits, memorial events, training for caregivers, and more.
6. Still Standing Magazine
Still Standing Magazine seeks to break the silence on child loss – from conception to adulthood, and infertility. They share stories from around the world of writers surviving the aftermath of loss and grief and include information on how others can help.
Please be sure to check out and take advantage of these resources. And if you know others going through the horror of loss, please share these resources with them. I have found the 2 most important aspects of recovery from pregnancy and infant loss to be (1) being purposeful about honoring and remembering the little one that was lost and (2) connecting yourself with others so that you know you’re not alone. These resources will help you achieve both of these things as you journey through your grief process.
In addition to these resources, I hope you will check out my book, As I Lay Weeping: Where Sorrow and Suffering Meet Faith and Hope. I wrote it to help other grieving mamas find hope in the hopelessness of their loss and to encourage them in their faith.
Does anyone else know of other valuable resources? Please share them below!
