When faced with devastating news about my baby at my anatomy scan, the first thing I did was to google loss support groups. I knew that if I was going to face the loss of a baby while a new transplant to the state, I would need all the support I could get.
I found Empty Arms and emailed immediately. Carol emailed me back and we talked on the phone for hours during my two weeks in limbo before my baby died inside of me. She answered all of my questions, helped me prepare, and just treated me like a normal human instead of a scary tragedy. Carol was wonderful. She had been there for dozens of others and knew how to approach such a difficult time for me.
Those two weeks between when I found out something was wrong and when the baby died were the most torturous, difficult weeks of my life. Having Carol there to help me was invaluable. I felt less alone. Less scared. More prepared for what was to come and the decisions to be made. She arranged for the funeral home to pick up the baby’s body and cover cremation costs. Phone calls that would have been incredibly difficult to make during such an emotional time.
She’s continued to be a source of support through the ups and downs of the past two years as I navigated a subsequent pregnancy that ended in another second trimester loss. She was there to listen as the doctors gave me answers I didn’t want to hear. There to pick me up on a bad day.
Being new to the area while undergoing so much upheaval and heartbreak in my personal life would have been catastrophic without Empty Arms. The monthly support groups, the friends I’ve gained who understand what I’ve been through, and all the ways I’ve been able to get involved with this incredible organization have made an isolating, awful experience less lonely and more full of joy.
Thank you for your thoughtful donation to Empty Arms and my fundraising efforts. Monies raised are used to educate medical professionals, provide care packages to newly bereaved family members, provided one-on-one support when families first learn of their loss, allow continued group support for grieving families, and help families create wonderful happy memories with the babies they have lost.
Syrup Stampede
Syrup Stampede will be a fun, family friendly 5k run/walk event. Donations and raised funds will benefit Empty Arms, an organization geared toward helping families of the Pioneer Valley grieve the loss of a pregnancy or infant. The Empty Arms Community Members not only hope to raise awareness of this awesome organization but also hope to demonstrate our want and desire to integrate our losses into poistive events surrounding the memories of our babies.
Empty Arms Bereavement Support serves members of the Western Mass community whose babies have died at any time during pregnancy or early infancy. We look to provide and create a compassionate community, fostering connections, validation, and resources to grieving parents.