Thursday, August 6, 2015

My Journey as a Stillbirthday Student







The past few weeks have been so busy for me!  I began my training to become a Stillbirthday Birth & Bereavment Doula last month.  I'm on week 5 & I'm learning so much!

I've trained with DONA & toLabor in the past and although I really value all that I learned through them, especially the hands on experience, I'm really enjoying being able to slow down as much as I need to & do this at my own pace. Plus, this really goes deep into the many possibilities surrounding loss.

I suffered a miscarriage when I was 15 years old.  Reading about early miscarriages brought back a lot of feelings that I hadn't felt in awhile. I suppose that's part of the beauty of this training.
Also, this training has seemed to open up a dialogue for me to be able to talk with other mothers about loss & for other mothers to be able to reach out to me. It's good to know that we're not alone in this.

One of the projects that I have to do is a community project.  I've decided to create a website for families going through loss which will have local resources for them, ways that I can support them & ideas for honoring their baby's life.

This is a tough journey, but I feel blessed to be on this journey.  I'm looking forward to being able to say (hopefully soon) that I'm a Certified SBD Doula.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a loss, please don't hesitate to reach out.  You're not alone in this journey.

Much Love,
Andrea