This article was submitted by New Orleans Moms Blog and written by Amanda Bensabat. 

My Miscarriage: Coping {Part Two of Two}

by Amanda Bensabat on JULY 23, 2014 in BABIES, INFERTILITY & MISCARRIAGE, PREGNANCY - 

http://www.neworleansmomsblog.com/2014/07/23/reflections-on-my-miscarriage/ 

I know my last post was not a happy one as I wrote a letter to the baby I will never hold. But this thing that happened to me, I have learned, will be something I carry for the rest of my life. Sure, the sharp, painful edges will blur and soften with time, but the wound will never heal completely. I feel compelled to follow up on my previous post after so many of you reached out to me. High school friends and acquaintances who I have not spoken with in years were sharing their personal stories of similar grief. I had no idea that so many women I knew had experienced what left me feeling so isolated and alone.

To continue reading... visit HTTP://WWW.NEWORLEANSMOMSBLOG.COM/2014/07/23/REFLECTIONS-ON-MY-MISCARRIAGE/ 

Traveling with Memories

This article was written and submitted by Share board member Meredith Byers.  


Summer is beginning, and many families are making vacation plans - either to travel somewhere by car or plane, or to enjoy a "staycation" and take in a local activity. Our family's summer plans include travel in Missouri as well as Texas, and like many Share families, our plans include a time to make memories with both our living children and our angel Samuel.

Our son Samuel was born still in April 2007. Before that time, our vacations were usually excursions for rest and relaxation, a new adventure or experience, or a working trip with some sightseeing and good food squeezed in. After Samuel's delivery, everything in our world, including our future travels, changed dramatically. Derek and I grieved intensely for weeks after coming home from the hospital without Samuel. We eventually began to realize that we needed to "get away" just for a little while to gain some shelter from the storm of feelings that were controlling our lives. Our oldest son, Wyatt, was 2 and loved trains, so we traveled to Colorado over Memorial Day weekend to explore and ride trains there. We brought our new camera, meant to be filled with photos of a new baby, and instead filled it with photos of us riding a train through Freemont, CO, in the snow (we weren't expecting snow in May!). This trip was our chance to hide in a world that wasn't raw with feelings for Samuel for a few days and hunker down with just ourselves. When we returned home, I made a photo book of the Colorado train ride for Wyatt to enjoy. When I look at that book now, it's filled with memories for me - I look swollen in my postpartum state, Derek looks tired and worn, and Wyatt's chubby cheeks are lit with excitement from the ride. I can still feel Samuel in those pictures.

Since then, we haven taken many trips as a family for various reasons, and each time we try to do something or find something that reminds us of Samuel. We have found a seashell on a South Carolina beach, a handmade bowl from a market in Georgia, an Asian ornament in San Francisco, and a Zuni mother-of-pearl butterfly from Santa Fe. Samuel is our butterfly, and we often look for butterflies and butterfly objects in our travels. We feel like Samuel is with us when we see a butterfly, and Derek feels closest to Samuel when he is outdoors under a blue sky. We have many butterflies on our shelves, our walls, and even in Samuel's garden in our backyard to remember him.

We have been blessed with two more living children since we lost Samuel, and all three kids enjoy looking for special treasures on our trips to put on Samuel's shelf when we get home. They recognize that these items are part of our family and part of our memories, and they value these objects and their meaning as much as I do. Our daughter Shiloh feels a special connection to butterflies also. On our recent visit to the Laumeier Art Fair on Mother's Day, she picked out a small drawing of a butterfly for her room. I think that she feels the memory of Samuel in this drawing. Our youngest, Ryder, is filled with charm and mischief, and his treasures usually reflect his spirit of play - a ball, a well-loved toy, even a shiny coin - and remind me of his angel brother.

We are driving to Branson today for a long Father's Day weekend vacation - we will do a little boating and fishing on Table Rock Lake, enjoy some amusement park fun at Silver Dollar City, and snuggle up around a campfire. Most importantly we will be looking for a treasure to remind us of our family. We will celebrate our living children, mourn our angel baby, look for butterflies, and make memories for now and always. 

Accepting submissions for the upcoming magazine...

We are now accepting newsletter submissions for the September/October edition. The topic is "When Children Grieve." The deadline is August 15.

While children may grieve just as intensely as adults, they are often called the "forgotten grievers." When their baby sibling dies, they may experience a myriad of emotions and reactions to the death. This issue will share ways families have helped their child move through his/her grief, including the difficulties. Parents are encouraged to share their children's art projects, writings and/or poems and other creative ways their children have dealt with their sibling's death. Finally, if you are a professional who works with grieving children, we would like to share any tips or words of wisdom you have to offer grieving parents.

If anyone is interested in submitting for this issue, please email Rose Carlson, rcarlson@nationalshare.org.

Annual Share Walk for Remembrance & Hope

Mark your calendar to join us on 

October 18, 2014 

for the

13th Annual National 

Share Walk 

for Remembrance & Hope

at Creve Coeur Park 

in Saint Louis, MO

8:00 a.m.       Day-Of Registration Opens

9:00 a.m.       Creation Station Opens

11:00 a.m.      Memorial Service & Balloon Release

12:00 p.m.     Walk

Angels in the Crowd: Unable to attend? Participate in the Share Walk as an Angel in the Crowd and receive a t-shirt and program.

1-Mile Walk: All walkers, including families, first-time walkers and recreational walkers are welcome to enjoy a peaceful walk by the lake in Creve Coeur Park.

4-Mile Walk: Enjoy higher levels of fitness with this non-competitive walk/run around the lake and through the wooded paths in Creve Coeur Park.

1:00 p.m.       BBQ Picnic Lunch

Hamburger and hot dog barbeque lunches can be purchased on the registration form.  You will have the option to buy lunch on-site, but we encourage pre-ordering to guarantee availability.

For more info or to register, visit http://www.nationalshare.org/walk.html