Surviving child loss

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sweetangelmommy

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After a really long battle to get pregnant we finally conceived our first miracle only to loose her at just eight weeks. Our chances of future conception is very low due to a condition I have. And please don’t say just adopt cause that isn’t an option for us either. How do I begin to cope with this? My faith is so weak right now I just can’t see why I had to give up my one and only baby ever. It just isn’t fair 😦
 
After a really long battle to get pregnant we finally conceived our first miracle only to loose her at just eight weeks. Our chances of future conception is very low due to a condition I have. And please don’t say just adopt cause that isn’t an option for us either. How do I begin to cope with this? My faith is so weak right now I just can’t see why I had to give up my one and only baby ever. It just isn’t fair 😦
Honey, I’m so very sorry. Sorry for your loss, and sorry for your pain. (((hugs)))

I can’t say I know what you’re going through, because I haven’t gone through it. However, there are other moms who have. (Yes, I said moms. You are a mom, and are one for eternity. Remember that.) Is there a support group for miscarriage parents and/or couples who struggle with infertility/subfertility in your area? If you don’t know of one, ask your OB. He or she will be certain to know of one and be able to give you that information.

“Just adopt” is, I’m told, one of the more hurtful things said to people who struggle with infertility. Even if it does become an option for you at some time, that time isn’t now. Right now, you’re dealing with a very real and very raw grief, and you need time to process it and heal before any such life-changing decision is made.

Peace and blessings to you. I hope that other moms who have lost babies chime in here soon with a more accurate perspective than I have.
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. Praying for the intentions & you & your husband.
 
I’m very sorry for your loss, I really am. Praying for you and your husband. x
 
My dear Mama lost her 8 day old baby boy when a staff infection infiltrated the nursery at the hospital and my three year old brother from Polio. She told me when I was about fourteen that holding on to her faith and knowing she would be reunited with them in heaven is what enabled her to survive those years. I’m praying for you!
 
I know that no matter what anyone says, nothing lessens the pain. I have 4 kids, and I lost one last April. I am pregnant now, but I still think of that child every single day. The only thing that helps, is that I’ve named her (Gina) and I talk to her all the time and I know that she’s with God and is happy and I can ask her to intercede with Him for us. So it may help to know that you have an advocate up in heaven who loves you and wants to help you. And just know that you will see your child and spend eternity with him or her. Please dont give up. Miracles happen all the time. The hardest part is getting pregnant, and you were able to do that. Believe that it will happen again. I’ll be praying for you.
 
It’s so heartbreaking to have a miscarriage, and I imagine even more painful when you don’t have any children yet. I don’t know that there is a good answer as to how to heal, but I try to remember that my other child is alive and at peace, and praying for me.
 
Praying for your fertility and the growth of your family ❤️
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. It isn’t fair, you are right. Even if adoption was an option, and even if you felt optimistic about having other children, it is STILL hard to cope with the loss of a baby. But I understand that you are not just grieving this baby, but grieving your own expectations of how life was supposed to be.

I miscarried in my first pregnancy, and while my doctors believed that I would be able to have chidlren, with my only experience being loss, I was really scared about infertility and what it would mean for my life. I have since had children, and I am experiencing another loss now, and while I don’t fear infertility, I do fear other things, and there is still that grief. It is hard.

I don’t know if this will help you or not, but I love the Footprints in the Sand poem:

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”

As simple and cliche as it may seem, that imagery helps me a lot with my suffering. In the middle of it, we don’t always see how God is with us, carrying us, but I do believe that he is. In some way - maybe in a completely unexpected way - maybe in a way that won’t be clear until some time in the future. Clinging to that helps me to either see some of they ways He is helping me, or helps me to maintain a faith when it is so hard.

But you need to grive. First off, there is the grieving of this baby. It has helped me to name my babies. Some people are helped by burying the remains of their baby if they are able to retain them. Often times you can’t do that, and that’s ok too. But it is helpful to have some sort of closure. There are prayers for miscarriage (I think EWTN has one) that you can say - I had a personal little prayer ceremony at home, in which I said a prayer like this, and named the baby, and offered its soul to God. There is also a Book of Life at the Shrine of the Holy Innocents in a church in New York City: innocents.com/shrine.asphttp:// You can enter your baby’s name on the website, and it will be entered into this book. Masses are said for the babies whose names are in the book of life, and you will receive a certificate with your baby’s name on it. I did that the first time, and will be doing it again.

Then there is the coping with the future. I would encourage you to look into the Gianna Centers that use NaPro technology, if you haven’t already - they do offer a somewhat unique perspective on fertility, so it might be worth a look, or a phone call. They do long distance phone appointments (recently used them myself that way). Perhaps every stone that can be turned already has. I guess I would say to bring what you can bring, to God. Your faith is weak? That’s ok, it can be week. You are angry? Bring it to Him. You feel unable to pray? That’s ok, tell Him that, and ask other people to pray for you. Let those who are not struggling support you with their prayers. You came to the right place for that, by the way - maybe in the prayer forum too. I don’t really have the answer to coping with the fears or realities of infertility. For me, it was a fear, not a reality, but the fear allowed me to examine my life and think about what I needed to change in my life to make it more fulfilling and more happy, aside from having a baby. Maybe there is someone older who does not have children, who can speak to the way to cope with and find happiness and meaning in life after infertility. I am certain that God is with you and has a beautiful plan for your life. I will pray for you and your little one, and I will especially pray for your comfort and peace.
 
I am so sorry for your loss. I have buried three babies. I had a rough childhood- violence, alcoholism, sexual abuse- but none of them even came close to pain I felt at losing a baby. I think there are two parts to this extreme pain. One is the obvious- you lost a child. Adding to this horrible situation is the reaction of others. Many people don’t even allow you to grieve or make you feel guilty if you do:
“You were only ____ weeks? It’s not like you even had a real baby.”
“You are still sad about that? Really?”
“Well, it’s better the baby died rather than be born with a problem.”
“Well, at least you have __________ (husband, etc)”

After I lost my first baby, I was amazed at how many other women I knew had also lost but never talked about it. It’s like there’s a shame in showing grief. I imagine that the devaluing of life has much to do with these insensitive remarks. I also know that some people say ****** things but are well-intentioned. My mother was notorious for saying the worst things when I lost a baby, but I know that she meant well. Other people…I don’t know. Some people I ignored when making a rude comment and others I had a reply (I got pretty good at giving responses that usually made the other person understand their hurtful comment).

So my advice to you- grieve. Don’t hide it. You will truly find out who your friends are, and you may make some surprising friends as you lose some others.

While I have had some awful things said to me, here are the things that really helped me. A Schoenstatt Sister of Mary said: “What is your ultimate goal for your children? Your ultimate, and only essential goal, is to get your children to heaven. You already have three there.”

Like you now, I have saints, actual saints, who are my personal intercessors. That’s pretty cool.

A monk said to me: “We don’t know why God does certain things. You may not know until you meet Jesus why your babies died. Think of the parents of the baby boys killed by King Herod. They were asking the same question: ‘Why my baby?’ Little did these parents know how they ultimately became part of salvation history.” I struggle with this the most. I see women aborting babies or having them and not caring for them and I question why my babies died while these women have children. It seems so unjust. And while I know that God brings good out of all things, I’d really like to see that good. Right now.

When I was crying after I lost my daughter (second loss), my then 9-year old said to me: “Mom, why are you crying? You don’t need to be sad for Lucy. She’s in heaven! She’s with Jesus and Mary! She will never get hurt, never cry and will never feel pain. We don’t need to be sad for her.” She’s right. I can cry for myself but not for my babies. They are a perfect place, being cared for by Mother Mary.

All of these things make me feel better, but there are still three holes in my heart. I will never stop missing my babies. Ever. I think about them every day (I also pray for their intercession every day).

Jesus said that those who follow him need to pick up their crosses and follow him. Losing my children is my cross as I imagine it’s yours too. It stinks.

Please PM me if you’d like to talk. It’s nice to chat with someone who understands your situation and won’t judge you.

I also second contacting PopePaul VI Institute. I have awful fertility problems as well, and they have been a huge help.

I will pray a rosary for you tonight. God bless you.
 
I am so sorry for your loss! :console: I too lost our only baby. The grieving process will continue for a lifetime. It’s still like it happened yesterday and it’s been over a year. :(. Forget what others say they only say that out of ignorance. No person who has ever gone through child loss would dare say such things, unless of course they don’t value that their loss was one of precious human life and theirs to boot! :rolleyes: I will pray for you dear! Hang in there!
 
I, too, am deeply sorry for your loss. I also suffer from subfertility/infertility, though I have not had a confirmed pregnancy loss. (There have been a few occasions where we suspected that I was pregnant and then lost the baby, but we’re not sure.) Our Blessed Lady can be a wonderful source of comfort and prayer, as she, too, buried her only Son.

You might also check out the “Mommies of Little Saints” sticky thread on this board (in the Parenting subforum at the top). This is a thread/group designed specifically for mothers who have lost children.
 
I am not a mom, but your post touched me, and I will keep you in my prayers. I am very sorry for your loss! May our Lord bring you comfort and healing.
 
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