It’s hard to believe that there is actually a dark side to pregnancy loss organizations. At least some of them and to know that a dark side exists, damages trust. At a time when families need love and support the most, some are being turned away and they don’t even know it. It’s almost similar…
Author: Elizabeth Petrucelli
Comparing Loss Serves No One
“Comparing Loss Serves No One” was originally published on December 2, 2015 at Doula Spot. Recently in a group, bereaved mothers were comparing the pain they experienced based on the age of their baby. One woman shared she had miscarriages so her pain could not be nearly as painful as a friend who had lost…
Janet Street Porter, How Shameful of You
A few days ago, I learned that Tana Ramsay (wife of Gordon Ramsay) has suffered a miscarriage. As a perinatal loss specialist who serves families enduring pregnancy loss, my heart hurts for them. Watching how the media is treating them can be both heartwarming and horrific. Here, you can see Janet Street Porter displaying the…
How to Prepare for Your Miscarriage
You’ve just been told that your baby/pregnancy isn’t viable, that there is no longer a heartbeat, or that you will be miscarrying; so what do you do now? Chances are, you were sent home with medication to induce the miscarriage or told to just go home and wait it out but do you really know…
Miscarriages are NOT Heavy Periods
“Miscarriages are like heavy periods.” I don’t understand where this phrase comes from at all. After diagnosis of a miscarriage, many women hear the words, “It will be like a heavy period.” Sometimes the medical professional adds, “And you might see more clots and pass tissue.” There is rarely mention of pain or contractions. Do…
Dear Emergency Departments Everywhere
Dear Emergency Departments everywhere… STOP SENDING WOMEN HOME WHO ARE HAVING A MISCARRIAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really cannot stress this enough. It’s getting very old hearing the words, “There is nothing we can do, go home.” Is that really all you have to say? Do you really thing there is nothing you can do? Let me explain…
On this day, May 11
Last year, he was born on May 11. Silent and still on the ultrasound just days before, we knew his birth was inevitable. It was devastating. Our 4th and thought-to-be last child, gone so quickly. We were so excited to be pregnant with him, naturally and at our age. It was a miracle. But he was…
They lost a child for goodness sake!
It isn’t called a miscarriage, it’s called a stillbirth. They lost a child for goodness sake. This is a very interesting statement and it implies that a woman experiencing a miscarriage, did not lose a child. If she didn’t lose a child, what DID she lose? For me, the moment I discovered I was pregnant,…
Depression
I have shared before the grief and depression are two very different things. In that post, I shared that antidepressants cannot “fix” grief because grief is not a chemical imbalance. Grief is someone we all experience in one way or another and it is something we must experience in order to move forward. Grief sucks,…
International Bereaved Mother’s Day 2016
Today is International Bereaved Mother’s Day. Did you know that such a day exists? International Bereaved Mother’s Day was started by Carly Marie in 2010. This day falls on the Sunday before Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day typically focuses on women who have living children or are pregnant. Women are celebrated, meals are shared, gifts are…