Empty Arms Bereavement SupportI am grateful for my affiliation with Empty Arms, a non-profit organization offering miscarriage and bereavement support groups to grieving families.
Read the guide to creating Memorial Ceremonies for Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Loss I wrote for Empty Arms in honor of International Bereaved Mother's Day.Erin Long PhotographyErin Long's first child, Birdie, was born still on March 3, 2007. Erin generously offers her talents as a photographer to grieving families and has been a member of the Empty Arms community since its inception. |
Pregnancy and Infant Loss
Your baby matters, however brief your time together. After a miscarriage, stillbirth or death of a child, you may feel you've entered a new and isolated world, unsure of how to share your loss with other people in your lives. Profound sadness, anger, confusion, fear and shame are just some of the emotions you might be experiencing.
Adding to the shock and pain is a culture that doesn't know how to support or talk about grief, and even close friends and family members may be uncomfortable, uncertain how to approach you. Understandably, many mothers and families struggle to find a way to honor their pregnancies and the baby that is no longer with them. Whether it's talking through different options for memorializing your child, performing a small, private ritual, officiating a public funeral ceremony or celebration of life, or designing a tree planting in your own backyard, together we can find a way to honor your loss and celebrate the baby who has so deeply changed your lives. "I told Hannah I was probably going to 'ugly cry' during the ceremony,
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