69 results for search: stillbirth


What to do When Your Friend Loses a Baby

Often in our grief, those closest to us do not know how to comfort and encourage us. Sometimes they stay away or don’t say anything at all because they are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. In this series, we hope to better equip those around us to come alongside a grieving mother—to enter their hurt and offer hope and encouragement, or simply grieve with them. This past summer I was experiencing the most intense and sudden pain I've ever had. After an hour where I was just trying to bear it, Nate overruled and we went to the ER. After all night in the ER, we were admitted the next day and there for five days, during which we had ...

I Wish You Knew: Words Won’t Erase the Pain

Often in our grief, those closest to us do not know how to comfort and encourage us. Sometimes they stay away or don’t say anything at all because they are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. In this series, we hope to better equip those around us to come alongside a grieving mother—to enter their hurt and offer hope and encouragement, or simply grieve with them. “He was just too beautiful for this earth.” What? Too beautiful for this earth? What does this even mean? Too beautiful? So God decided to take my only son? I know plenty of beautiful people who are living and thriving on this earth. What? Is she serious? I sat in ...

Blessed Are the Hungry

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." -Matthew 5:6 Several weeks after Chance’s funeral, a sweet friend from church stopped me when she spotted me across the church aisle. “I want you to know I have been praying for you. Specifically, I have been praying that God would reveal to you the purpose in Chance’s life.” With that one simple sentence, her prayer became my prayer too. I had never thought to pray this prayer, but in that moment, it sounded so profound. And it sure sounded like a good way to turn this tragedy back to truth.   So I would pray day after day after day, ...

The Gift of Deeper Community

I’ve received many gifts as a result of my suffering, but I can attest that the deeper community I’ve experienced because of it is high on the list. As a reminder, I read my original story of losing Anna posted by Hope Mommies in 2018. One of the highlights even then was how the church around me truly changed me and ushered me into a new world of deeper community. A community who carried me through my grief, learned what biblical joy and lament truly means, and provided practically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually for me for years. Because of the support I received, I am able to be there for the women who come after me. The sister of ...

My Platform For the Gospel: Mother of Wilde

Our second son, Noah Wilde Rooney, was born on March 9, 2021. It didn’t take long after he was born still for me to search online for pregnancy and infant loss support groups on Facebook. I was really naïve to the statistics and had a lot of questions about why stillbirth happens. I also wanted to hear the stories of other parents who had lost a child and what helped them during grieving. For weeks, I just observed the posts and stories, always staying hidden in the background. I wasn’t ready to share Noah’s birth story or his photos. It was still foggy to me and reality had not yet set in. My faith was shaken, my marriage was shaken, and I ...

Megan’s Story

Andy and I were surprised to find I was pregnant shortly after our sixth wedding anniversary, as I completed my third year of medical school. We had planned to wait to start a family until after I completed residency so I could stay home part time. God apparently had different plans! I initially struggled with feeling excited due to the unanticipated timing and intense nausea and vomiting which lasted into the third trimester. But eventually, I adored being pregnant with our active baby. I developed cholestasis of pregnancy at 33 weeks, and in the course of extra monitoring, our baby was incidentally found to have heart defects which would ...

Moria’s Retreat Experience

75 moms traveled from all over the world to come to the Hope Mommies retreat — A Song In The Night. 75 moms came here with broken hearts in search of connecting with other moms who have walked a similar journey. It was a spirit-filled weekend of healing, worship, prayer, and intimacy. I listened to so many mothers share stories of their babies in heaven. I’ve seen their photos, I’ve heard their names, and I’ve honored their stories. I, also, shared my son Noah’s story. I’ve shared his photo, I’ve said his name, and I’ve honored his story. At first, I was hesitant about even going to the retreat. I wasn’t sure why God wanted me to ...

Finding True Joy

Rejoice. Be glad. Delight. Friend, do these words describe you in the midst of your grief? Or does the mere mention of the word rejoice cause you to scoff? Perhaps, sad, downcast, and burdened feels more accurate. It is entirely natural, perhaps even normal, if rejoicing seems like the last thing of which you’re capable. The loss of our children is certainly not a thing in which we rejoice. And the pain of that loss can create a fog of sadness so deep we often can’t see through it. The things in which we once found joy now seem hollow; joy and happiness seem elusive. But even in our grief, there is a place in which we can rejoice. A place ...

October 15 Reflections

We are only a few weeks from October 15, the day set aside for National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. It’s a day to remember, to come together, and to hope in the Word. Before I had experienced loss of my own, I had no idea that October 15 existed. Perhaps I had heard it mentioned before then, but it was certainly not something that I had given much thought to. I was completely unaware of how often pregnancy and infant loss occurred. It felt unreal from the outside looking in. Sure baby loss  doesn't happen now! We are living in the age of modern medicine! When my son passed away in my womb, everything changed. Suddenly my reality was ...

Julia’s Story

“I’m sorry, I normally can see a heartbeat in a baby this size, but I don't.” “I’m sorry, this doesn't look to me like a viable pregnancy.” Two different pregnancies, two different ultrasound techs, two different lives lost. And my heart broken two different times. The doctors say it’s good that my two “missed” miscarriages didn't happen in a row. I had a healthy son between the two of them. But that didn't comfort me. Nothing can comfort a woman who has just found out her baby “isn't viable.” Nothing but the love of Jesus. The first time I miscarried, the pregnancy was not planned. I still, however, cried buckets of ...