I find that each October | spend varying amounts of time thinking about the "what if's", depending on how old my living children are, how busy | am, or innumerable other variables.
I am someone who had a late-term pregnancy loss and a number of early miscarriages. Today, I have two daughters, one who is 16, and one who is 9, and are the lights of my life! I also would have had a son who would be 17, a different 16-year-old had I not lost the pregnancy prior to my daughter's pregnancy, and a 12-year-old.
I'm reminded of how important the support of my colleagues, friends, and family was when my heart was broken into a million piecesJasmine Obando
I debated whether or not I wanted to share something so heavy but in moments of reflection, I'm reminded of how important the support of my colleagues, friends, and family was when my heart was broken into a million pieces. I needed the support from others who had experienced similar losses but were able to laugh, socialize, and had found a new normal after a loss. Knowing I wasn't alone in my grief and loss was key to my healing.
I began attending support meetings and eventually, once | was no longer in the depths of grief, began volunteering to lead bereaved parent groups for HAND (Helping After Neonatal Death). If it hadn't been for the kindness of my coworkers and friends who shared their stories of loss and assured me I would get better, or the many HAND group leaders, who were there to help me process my grief, I would have felt utterly alone.
If you have experienced the loss of a pregnancy or an infant, please know you're not alone, that there are support groups, books, online communities, and others who have been in similar shoes.
You don't have to do this alone!
