March 2015 Issue Vol 6, Issue 6

 

I Did Not Know 

What To Say  

Newsletter

 Dear (Contact First Name),

WELCOME EVERYONE!
We are grateful that you have chosen to be a part of our online community.    
 

Featured Article  Child Bearing Loss, Miscarriage, Stillbirth - Top 10 Tips for Parents by Amy Luster, M.A., offers many strategies for parents coping with loss. For friends and family, Amy's article, is also a great resource to help you understand how to be supportive during an incredibly difficult and often misunderstood loss.

 

Loss Due to Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Loss

We are expanding our resources on our website, please let us know if you have a resource to share or would like to contribute an article or an inspirational message for this section of our website.

A special THANK YOU to our Sponsor Flowerpetal.com for their continued support!  We encourage you to think of www.flowerpetal.com the next time you are ordering flowers for a loved one.

Virtual Book Tour   Be sure to check out our Virtual Book Tour, featuring interviews with authors that have written inspirational books on grief and the healing process. If you are an author and would like us to include you in our Virtual Book Tour, please email us.

 

Be sure to also join us on Facebook and Twitter for resources and on-going discussions on ways to assist a loved one that is grieving.  

Do you have an inspirational story you would like to share?  We invite you to submit your inspirational stories, letters that have reached your heart, a favorite quote or poem, an unforgettable outing, or a book that touched your life. We would love to hear from you. 

 

With Love and Gratitude, 

  

 Lori     

 

 To love a person is to see all of their magic,
and to remind them of it when they have forgotten. ~unknown

In This Issue
Featured Article - Child Bearing Loss, Miscarriage, Stillbirth - Top 10 Tips for Parents
Thoughtful Sympathy Gifts - FlowerPetal.com
About Us
Quick Links


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featureFeatured Article

 Child Bearing Loss, Miscarriage, Stillbirth - Top 10 Tips for Parents 

 

  1. Be patient with yourself and your partner.
  2. Each of you will experience your grief in different ways and often on different timetables. Feelings will vary in intensity and are likely to come in a random fashion, rather than proceeding in a linear manner. Accept the feelings that come without judging them. Recognize the distinctions in how you and your partner experience the grief process and support each other as best you can.
  3. Postpone making any major decisions for at least a year after your loss. Avoid the urge to lose yourself in your work. Permit yourself time to grieve and heal. Although it may seem a tempting distraction, resist the urge to make any immediate, significant change in your life, as it will likely result in additional stress.
  4. Ensure you are eating a healthy diet, getting adequate rest and include some yellow-tulip-field.jpg form of exercise in your day, even a short walk in the beginning. Grief takes a great deal of energy. Make sure to drink plenty of water. Avoid drugs and alcohol, which will ultimately cause you to feel worse.
  5. Expect your memory and focus to be off. Thinking of your baby will be foremost on your mind.
  6. Let people know if their well-meant advice or platitudes cause you to feel resentful. Let them know what would be helpful to you.
  7. Let others know how they can be of help. Loved ones wish to help, but often don't know how. Tell them, specifically, what would be helpful, such as: running an errand, walking your dog or simply sitting with you as a quiet companion.
  8. Ask family and friends to mention your baby by name. Most parents long to hear that their baby will be remembered by others.
  9. If you have other children, take time to explain what's happened in simple terms. "The baby was born too tiny to survive," or "The baby was very, very, very, very sick and was not able to get better." Anticipate that they may act out or regress to younger behaviors for a time. Be as patient as possible.
  10. Know that it's okay for your other children to witness your grief. Grief is a part of life and tragically, it has become part of your family's present life. It is healthy to express your sad feelings in front of your children. At the same time, recognize and respect their limits. If you feel as though your pain is interfering with your ability to care for your children, seek outside support. Eventually, grief's overwhelming qualities will begin to recede.
  11. Find a way for your family to remember your baby. He or she will always be a part of you and creating a ritual or place to honor him or her can provide healing. When you feel ready, consider ways to memorialize your baby.

Coping with the loss of your baby is an incredibly difficult task. Accept that there is no 'right' amount of time, nor a time table for grief. Rather, a goal is simply to get through this difficult time. Resist allowing anyone to pressure you into grieving according to their expectations. Coming to term with the loss of your baby can be a life-long process.

 

About Amy Luster

 
Amy Luster, M.A. is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in providing support to parents who have experienced child-bearing loss. Her work helps to build awareness about how such loss affects parenting. She works with Individuals, Couples, Families and Groups both in person as well as via telephone, nationally. She provides training to medical staff on the subject of Infertility and Child-Bearing Loss.

To learn more, visit her website: http://www.parentingafteraloss.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Luster

 

Thoughtful Sympathy Gift Ideas

giftsSympathy Gifts

 

  Flowerpetal

We would like to thank our Sponsor Flowerpetal.com for their continued support!  We encourage you to think of Flowerpetal.com the next time you are ordering flowers for a loved one.


Visit o
ur Thoughtful Sympathy Gifts page for a wide variety of sympathy gift ideas for your loved ones. We hope the thoughtful gifts listed on our website inspire you to give warmth and joy to your friends and family in their time of need.

 

About I Did Not Know What To Say.com & Lori Pederson
 
Lori

I Didn't Know What To Say.com was created to inspire and provide you with tools to assist a friend or family member through the grieving process.
 

My expertise comes from those experiences that only life can provide.  Over the past 20 years I have lost many family members and several friends. Namely, my mother who died when she was 50 from ovarian cancer, my aunt Pam, who died two weeks after my mother in a fatal car crash, my aunt Carol, who died from melanoma, my grandfather Ted from bone cancer, my friend Dan at age 28 who died from a rare form of abdominal cancer, my grandmother Lillian, who died from breast cancer, my grandfather Magnus- bless him to be the only one who has died of old age at 98, my pets Red, Jonathan and Harley, and several friends and colleagues along the way. I am no stranger to loss nor is my family. I mention my loss to acknowledge that what I write is from the heart and from true-life experience. 
 

In addition to my many life experiences, I hold a Master's degree in Human Resource Development from The George Washington University and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from California State University at Northridge. I have presented workshops in the area of active listening, handling life's transitions, and leadership development for over twenty years and have extensive experience mentoring and coaching young adults.  I am also currently studying with the Grief Coach Academy. 
 

Throughout my life I have been blessed with many friends and relatives that were there for me as I went through the process of grieving to healing.  Their thoughtfulness has been an inspiration to me and I hope to you as well. 
 

I have learned over the years that although people want to support a grieving loved one, they often don't know where to start.  I Did Not Know What To Say.com was created out of my passion to assist people find the words when they don't know what to say or how to be supportive.  
 

I welcome you to share your experiences and inspirational messages.  As we receive new submissions we will be posting them on the website.
 

The smallest of gestures can make a big difference in someone's life.  My hope is that our site will inspire you to make a difference in the lives of those around you.  
 

With Love and Gratitude,  


 

Lori

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Each week we will be adding new inspirational stories and resources to our website and Blog.  Help us reach our goal of providing inspiration and insight to the world by sharing your story or resource with our online community.  We would love to hear from you! 
Share Your Story. Please email us your inspirational stories, letters/cards that have reached your heart, a favorite quote, an unforgettable adventure, a thoughtful gift idea, a book that touched your life, or a suggestion for our website or newsletter to
[email protected]. 

If you are an author or expert in the field of grief recovery, we would love to interview you for our Blog and/or one of our upcoming newsletters.  

If you have a website, Blog or newsletter, we ask that you consider including our information on your site.  Here is the link:   

 

I Did Not Know What To Say   

IDidNotKnowWhatToSay.com is a website created to inspire and provide you with tools to assist a love one through the grieving process.
 
  
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