This is such a hard yet hopeful situation in life. A friend of mine shared her experience and said I could share it with you. If you know of someone that is struggling please share it with them.
In January of 2010, at my 21-week ultrasound, my husband and I found out our baby had severe birth defects and would not survive to a healthy delivery. Based on a number of medical opinions and out of concern for my health we decided to deliver early, and our daughter was stillborn at 26 weeks. The doctors, nurses, and hospital staff were amazing in supporting us through this experience. My doctor hand-picked the nurses who helped, the hospital social worker came and chatted with us, and a wonderful woman made molds of our baby’s hands and feet and took pictures that I cherish to this day. However, once we went home it was harder to know where to turn for support. Of course, our family and friends were there for us, but few of them had ever experienced anything similar, my husband in particular struggled with our loss over the next year. As a young 23-year-old I had no idea what to do or where to turn to help him, and looking back I so wish I had known there were people like Kristena out there. We would have so benefited from a few sessions with Kristena to help process our grief and pull together as a couple during that time. Especially during the first few weeks after going home from the hospital. I regularly referred to the materials we received at the hospital and a small note about how Kristena could help would have given me a direction to turn to for support after we transitioned out of the healthcare setting. Please reach out for help.
Kristena Eden