Losing a Child
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A Stillbirth Is Still A Birth
Probably one of the biggest unknowns about someone who has a stillborn baby is that delivery and all the recovery afterward is still the same even though you go home without a baby. Don’t worry because had I not had a stillborn baby, I probably wouldn’t know this either. The truth is a stillbirth is still a birth. The doctor determined my baby no longer had a heartbeat and gave me two options:1. Go home and wait for things to happen naturally 2. Go to the hospital I was an hour from home with a friend and had nothing but my purse; however, I couldn’t bear the thought of…
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I Survived A Milestone
As Chairman for a nonprofit, I was given the opportunity to speak at the upcoming Countdown to Kindergarten event. As the even neared, it hit me that I should have attended this event with my 3rd child; however, I would be attending solo. When I arrived, I received several questionable looks as to why I was there. Inside, I wanted to tell them that I really should be there and that my daughter should know their child by name. Ironically, the kickoff to kindergarten was the same week that Ella was born “sleeping” and this year, she would have celebrated her 5th birthday. Sometimes milestones can kick you in the…
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Ella Claire Pritchett
1 in 1,000 pregnancies result in a stillborn baby. Prior to 2014, I had little knowledge about stillborn babies. Where do I begin? I was 35 weeks pregnant with my third baby and on the the downhill stretch. My prior two pregnancies were picture perfect, healthy pregnancies that end with induction both times. This particular appointment was just a routine checkup. This particular appointment was a follow up appointment from the week before because my ankles had started swelling. A good friend went with me to the appointment and we were going to do a little shopping afterwards since it was a Friday afternoon. She let me out at the…
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Painting With a Purpose
Tonight I stepped out of my comfort zone in several ways. I put my big girls pants on and drove 1 hour by myself to attend a paint party with a group of strangers. The “Paint With a Purpose” event was designed for moms who have lost a baby. This great event was put on by an organization called Heaven’s Cradle which is a ministry based in Jackson, TN to support families who have lost a baby or child. We started with a blank canvas, selected our paint colors, and got to work using our hands to apply the paint to the canvas. We put our fingers in the paint…
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It’s Ok to Ask for Help
When I lost my sister, I was only 22. That is barely an adult in many measures of the term. I had just graduated from college and had been working less than 1 month as a real, full-time employee. This was the first major loss I had experienced. Chris and I had been dating about 2 years, and I can’t even explain how wonderful he was to be by my side. I was overcome with emotions. There were many days when I cried, cried, and cried some more. Becky and I were very close. We were alike in may ways. She was big sister, my protector, and friend. She was…
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I Know How You Feel…
I know how you feel… Let’s erase those words from our go to answers for someone dealing with grief. While it’s our natural answer to show compassion, most of the time, we really don’t know how someone feels. Don’t tell your own story in a way that you try to justify why you know how someone feels. Each of us were uniquely made which means we all experience different emotions and feelings. Along with this, each loss is different because of a 1001 circumstances. And, at the end of the day, we all handle loss differently. Losing a sibling vs. losing a parent, vs. losing a grandparent all “feel” different and…
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Finding Comfort from an Envelope
While in the hospital after my daughter was stillborn, I needed something to occupy my mind. After researching how and why on earth this could have happened, I resorted to adding a bible app to my phone & iPad. Along with this, I started several bible reading plans focused on loss and grieving. Through this journey, I started making note of several verses that were comforting to me. I had not one single piece of paper in the hospital room, not even in my purse. I did have 1 envelope with me and filled it with the various verses that I found. I needed something to do at the hospital…
