70 results for tag: Infant Loss
Memories can be triggered by sights, sounds, or smells. Every time I see a Hershey's bar, I think of my dad. He loved them! A good memory – along with the pain of the loss.
We never know when a memory will be brought to mind. A recent memory was triggered by a place. This memory goes back 33 years.
A friend had been on bed rest due to bleeding and early contractions at 24.5 weeks. We got the news (amazing how with social media and texting you hear about things as they are happening!) that her water broke and she would deliver that day – at 27 weeks. We were still at a church ministry event when my friend's Oma (German for grandmother) ...
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year already. A year since our world was shaken.
A year ago, this month, our little family welcomed a new addition—one we had eagerly awaited and prayed for, for so long. And instead of snuggling him in my bed, I was on my knees in the hospital bathroom, with my head to the cold floor, begging God to spare our son. It was not supposed to end this way. This was not what I had imagined six months before when I first saw those two pink lines.
In Feb, 2015 we found out that we were expecting our second child. Our 2-year-old son would be getting a little brother that November. Early on in the pregnancy I ...
My story began long before the births and deaths of my babies. I had always wanted to be a mom. I wanted a big family. I wanted lots of children. Fast forward to married life, and I learned I couldn’t have children without medical intervention. With the use of fertility drugs, a willing husband to give me hundreds of shots, and great doctors, I became a mom to my firstborn, Claire. Life was fabulous. We decided to try 6 months later. It was a “breeze” the first time, so how hard could it really be? I was so very naive.
It was very hard to get pregnant the second time. After many attempts at IUI, and many, many more shots, I finally became ...
"I had a textbook pregnancy. It was my first pregnancy, and I enjoyed every second of it. We didn’t find out the gender because we wanted it to be a surprise. I chose to use a midwife for my prenatal care and delivery. It was always my dream to have a completely natural birth in water at a birth center. I went into early labor on my due date which was May 8th at about 11 pm. This was when the contractions first woke me up. They weren’t bad, so I just tried to get as much sleep as possible. When my husband woke up to go to work, I told him that I’d been having contractions all night so we decided for him to just stay home.
I had ...
"A few months ago my life changed forever.
I was about 6 months pregnant with our first child, a baby boy named Riley, and up until this point it had been a smooth and happy pregnancy. I dealt with those typical pregnancy symptoms, and even though those can drive you crazy, the thought of becoming a mommy was the most beautiful gift that I could have ever been given. On January 17th of this year, my husband and I both started having stomach pains before bed and we naturally thought it was probably something we ate. His pain was gone by morning but mine was intensifying. Nevertheless, I got up and got ready for work but was only there for a few ...
"July 14, 2010, I waddled into the labor and delivery wing full of excitement and hope. This time it was real labor and I would soon be able to meet this long-awaited baby girl! It was my first time pregnant and it was a lot harder than anyone could predict. With active rheumatoid arthritis, my doctors and I had a master plan based on all the known research and statistics. I had an expert team of High Risk OBs and Rheumatologists monitoring every step.
Most women with RA go into remission during pregnancy as the body turns its attention away from attacking your joints to making a baby. A week or two after stopping meds my hopes of going into remiss...
Are you a writer? Hope Mommies would love to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog. Every Saturday we will be sharing another Hope Mom’s story in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow. If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose please send a draft between 800-1200 words to editor (at) hopemommies (dot) org.
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"On Mother’s Day my oldest daughter was going to be baptized by her Daddy. It was the most amazing thing to be 20 weeks pregnant sitting next to my little 8 year old, and watching my husband help our oldest profess her faith in our Savior ...
"I remember leaving work that Thursday afternoon feeling a little off and thinking to myself all the way home that it’s not possible for me to be pregnant. My husband and I had been reeling from back-to-back miscarriages that year, the last one only six weeks removed. I stared in disbelief as I saw the two lines appear. This wasn’t supposed to be happening; we still had more testing to go through and we weren’t ready to try again.
After several weeks of the typical pregnancy symptoms and initial blood work, I had begun to pray earnestly for this little baby and so had my sweet friends and family. I remember someone telling me that this would ...
"When we found out we were pregnant with our third child we were over the moon. Being ever the planner, I immediately began to envision how this new one would fit into our lives. At our 20 week ultrasound we found out we were having a girl. We brought home pink flowers and balloons to surprise our two oldest. The next day I bought her first outfit- a sweet little summer romper.
There were a few small things that came up on the ultrasound that we needed to follow up on, but were assured that they were nothing major. We went back at 24 weeks. Things seemed to be fine with our little one. Later, I remember so clearly the phone call that explained ...
Suspended
by, Erin Cushman
Hope Mom to Gwendolyn Hope
It’s been over five years since my daughter’s birth and death.
Five years – it is true that time can be an agent of healing. Time can so accustom your heart and mind to a despicable reality that you can say it without blinking, without feeling the weight of your words: “It’s been over five years since my daughter’s birth and death.” And while I am in the habit of telling my story, especially as I explain the ministry that was birthed from it all, I can never meet the eyes of strangers as I relate the brevity and reality of my firstborn. Something inherent – the ...
