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13 JunLittle Brother, Little One

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Ayva Sophia Grein, daughter of HOPE member Kristen Grein, wrote the following poem in memory of her brother Gordon.

Little brother my little one.
The sad days had begun. 

With you in my heart.
My love with you should never fall apart.

With you turning six.
I wish you have a great wish.

I wish you were still with me.
So I would be more happy.

 

So twinkle twinkle little star.
I love you even when where apart.

My special gordon dear.
I love you very dear.

Category(s): Poems

10 JunI Love You Dad

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On this your special Father’s Day
Remember your baby who would want to say,
“I love you Dad.  You are the one.
I’ll always be your daughter or son.
Feel my kiss upon your cheek
And know that someday I believe we’ll meet.
Until then, let your tears come, (or not)
And love my mommy lots and lots.”

Author – Angel K

Category(s): Poems

10 JunI Stood By Your Bed Last Night

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A Poem submitted by HOPE member, Kristen Grein.  Author Unknown.

I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying, You found it hard to sleep.
I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear, “It’s me, I haven’t left you, I’m well, I’m fine, I’m here.” I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea, You were thinking of the many times, your hands reached down to me.
I was with you at the shops today, Your arms were getting sore.
I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more.
I was with you at my grave today, You tend it with such care.
I want to reassure you, that I’m not lying there.
I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key. I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said “it’s me.” You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair. I tried so hard to let you know, that I was standing there.
It’s possible for me to be so near you everyday.
To say to you with certainty, “I never went away.” You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew, in the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.
The day is over….I smile and watch you yawning and say “good-night, God bless, I’ll see you in the morning.”
And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide, I’ll rush across to greet you and we’ll stand, side by side.
I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see. Be patient, live your journey out….then come home to be with me.

Category(s): Poems

24 MayWomen Grieve Miscarriage for Years, Even After Having a Healthy Baby

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When a woman miscarries, it’s typically far more hurtful than helpful to say something like, “At least you have other children.” Now, new research backs that up and goes a step further, finding that even women who go on to welcome a child after a miscarriage or stillbirth report prolonged depression and anxiety surrounding their loss.

“We kind of assumed in the academic world that if you have a healthy baby, everything would be fine,” says Emma Robertson Blackmore, the lead researcher and an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Each year, about 1 million U.S. women endure a miscarriage or stillbirth. Up to 80% of those women get pregnant again, but researchers found that nearly 13% of women who had a miscarriage or stillbirth before delivering a healthy baby still had symptoms of depression 33 months after the birth. Of those with two previous losses, almost 19% of new mothers had symptoms of depression within that same time span, according to the study published online this month in the British Journal of Psychiatry.  Read more…

 

Category(s): In the News

13 MayTo My Li’l Man Jamison

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Jamie Riggio, a HOPE member, writes the letter below to her son Jamison John Riggio, who passed too soon.

I can’t express the joy and calmness you brought into my life the day you were born. I clearly remember seeing you from across the room as the nurse brought you to be weighed. You smiled so big at me and your daddy, it’s like you already knew you belonged to us and us to you. At that moment I remember saying I can’t believe that he literally just smiled and he’s 5 seconds old. In my world you were the most beautiful baby boy I’ve ever seen and I knew the name we picked for you was perfect Jamison John. The name carries such strengthen and presences and you truly embodied both.  Read more…

 

Category(s): Personal Stories of HOPE

13 MayMy Yellow Brick Road Has Potholes

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Another HOPE blog favorite…

Cynthia, the blog author explains, “This site is called My Yellow Brick Road Has Potholes because I feel a little like Dorothy. She knows where she wants to go and wants to get there so badly, but there are troubles along the way. I have stumbled, fallen, and gotten bruised along the way. Nobody told Dorothy the journey would be so painful. Fortunately, she has the support of kind and able loved ones. Along with hope and a strong spirit, she made it to Oz and then back home. With loved ones along the way, the journey is bearable. You may feel shock, sadness, bewilderment, rage, jealousy, or a number of other emotions. Your journey may not be what you thought it was going to be or even should be. I encourage you to put on your ruby red slippers, close your eyes, breathe, and allow yourself to hope. Your dreams can come true.”  Click here to read the blog.

Category(s): Our Favorite Blogs

13 MaySHARE Your Thoughts Blog

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The National SHARE website has a pregnancy and infant loss support BLOG. Anyone suffering a loss or supporting someone suffering a pregnancy loss can submit a post and/or comment to the blog.  There is comfort and power reading other family’s stories of loss.  Here is an excerpt…

As a three time survivor of pregnancy loss, I know all too well that the words “moving forward” do not equal “letting go.”

Nearly 17 years after my first loss, I still feel the pain and grief. It’s not quite as raw as it was all of those years ago but it’s still there. I think about the son or daughter I never got to hold and I never had the opportunity to know. What would he or she look like? Would it be my green eyes that would stare back at me or would they be the brown eyes of my husband? Would he or she be panicking about SATs and college applications? I will never know the answer to these questions and I think that the unknown is what pains me the most as a grieving parent.  Read more…

 

Category(s): Grief Resources, Our Favorite Blogs, Pregnancy Loss Resources

12 MayWECT TV News Report in NC

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WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – Doctors used to tell parents to avoid bonding with their babies if they weren’t going to survive, but now there’s a different thought. A group called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep says it’s helping parents remember their baby as they should– as a member of their family.

The Foster family spent months preparing their toddler son Matthew for the arrival of his little brother, Jacob.

“We were worried about bringing a new baby and him not having enough time after that happened,” said Brian Foster.

So Brian and Heather Foster spent most of their time getting Matthew to understand he had a brother coming. He was very excited.

The night before Heather was supposed to be induced; Matthew pulled up her shirt and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Jake.”

But, tomorrow was a day the family couldn’t wait to put in the past.

“There was no heartbeat,” said Heather. “And that was all there was to it.”

Jacob’s cord got wrapped around his neck. Heather was already in labor when doctors told her that there was no heartbeat.

“I can’t even explain what goes through you,” said Brian.

“Within 12 hours we went from expecting to go in and get a baby to arranging a funeral,” said Heather.

Brian said it was even more difficult because Jacob looked just like Matthew. “He was beautiful,” he said. “It was very tough.”   Read more…

Category(s): Grief Resources, Ideas for Remembering Your Child, Pregnancy Loss Resources

07 MayEvery Mother Counts

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This Mother’s Day, we ask you to take one action to help mothers everywhere. Go to the website EveryMotherCounts.org and learn about the documentary film called “No Woman, No Cry”.  In her gripping directorial debut, Christy Turlington Burns shares the powerful stories of at-risk pregnant women in four parts of the world, including a remote Maasai tribe in Tanzania, a slum of Bangladesh, a post-abortion care ward in Guatemala, and a prenatal clinic in the United States.  View the trailer below and click here for more information.

The film will air on the Oprah Winfrey OWN network this Mother’s Day, May 8, 2011. Please check local listings.

Category(s): Pregnancy Loss Films, Pregnancy Loss Resources

06 MayNational Infertility Association

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RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, established in 1974, is a non-profit organization with the only established, nationwide network mandated to promote reproductive health and to ensure equal access to all family building options for men and women experiencing infertility or other reproductive disorders.

RESOLVE improves the lives of women and men living with infertility.

One in eight U.S. couples of childbearing age is diagnosed with infertility. RESOLVE addresses this public health issue by providing community to these women and men, connecting them with others who can help, empowering them to find resolution and giving voice to their demands for access to all family building options.  Read more…

 

Category(s): Infertility
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