Lauren Turley said her, and her husband felt compelled to do something shortly after Catherine's life limiting diagnosis. She said when you are a bereaved parent you don't want anyone to forget your baby. We wanted people to know about her and for her life to mean something. Catherine Cares is where we channeled our grief.

Catherine Cares provides heartbeat bears, restaurant, fuel and grocery gift cards to families of babies who receive prenatal or newborn life-threatening diagnosis. We believe these small gestures centered on taking care of basic everyday needs help families in the midst of a difficult struggle. Catherine Cares provides services directly to hospitals, Maternal and Fetal Centers and doctor’s offices throughout the United States and Europe.

Heartbeat Bears, designed by Build-A-Bear Workshop and Catherine Cares, are provided to families of babies and children who receive a life-threatening diagnosis. Our bears come with a recording device within a pocket on the side of the bear. For babies, when a life threatening prenatal or newborn diagnosis is given, our hospital partners record the baby’s heartbeat on the device during an ultrasound. For older children, a sweet message, the sound of laughter or other comforting messages can be recorded to give the family hope and comfort through a difficult journey. Catherine Cares Heartbeat Bears are a cherished treasure for families.

Website: https://www.catherinecares.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CatherineCares

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatherineCares/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinecares/

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL:  teresa.livingaftergrief.com

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a free complementary time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call

In this episode Lauren Turley shares her story about her daughter Catherine who is in heaven. At times she became very emotional remembering the hardest parts of their journey which started at the 20 week anatomy ultrasound. At that appointment she remembered it took a long time and then the sonographer said "The doctor is going to come in and we are going to take care of you. The doctor shared with us a very long list of what was wrong. Lauren said I just cried and was trying to figure out how I was going to take care of my 18 month old daughter when my heart is breaking? How am I going to be a good mom when my life has just stopped?

We went from figuring out a nursery and clothes to planning a funeral. It was very important to us to start sharing our story to help others right away. Their story has touched my heart just like every story I have heard and several moments and things that Lauren shared brought tears to my eyes. As a grief coach, I love hearing when there is joy and happiness that is found in such a very difficult and heart breaking story. When those things can be found and shared, healing is there. Lauren shared many sad and hard moments in their story and also many beautiful and joyful times. So I encourage you to be open to feeling the sadness and joy while listening to her share to support others.

Lauren's insight and encouragement: The biggest thing for caregivers or support people and the family to know is. It is OK and important to feel your feelings. There is no right or wrong way and you need to do what is best for you. Lauren said what works for me may not work for others and that is OK. There is no outline for how this works and that is probably what makes it so hard.

· Feel your feelings

· Give yourself permission to protect yourself and your family

· Do what is best for you and do not feel bad about that

· This is your time to take care of yourself and your family

· This is the beginning of a tough journey

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL teresa.livingaftergrief.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call

Anita Doermann said it was like a stab to the heart when people asked if I had children. She shared about never having any biological children and suffering in silence while others shared about their pregnancies, deliveries and raising their children. For a long time she felt emptiness and disappointment in herself.

She said due to her infertility and other life experiences she did a lot of self discovery which has helped her to be a better listener and to share her experiences. It has given her strength and hope to not chastise others or make them feel belittled because we have all gone through good things and bad things. Hopefully what I and others have gone through, will strengthen us in whatever the next thing is in our lives.

Anita talked about the joy of becoming a mom at age 41 when she married her 2nd husband who had twin boys. It will bring tears to your eyes to hear her talk about her infant grandson which for many years she thought she would never have.

Anita's encouragement for you: I have not pursued this but I believe it could help to volunteer in a hospital or church to rock babies to fill that emptiness and close that gap a little. The pain can be great and I recognize that and respect it because I have been through it. There maybe a bigger plan and you may cross paths with someone that needs your help, love and support. Looking back most often gives us more clarity and the struggle is real when you are in it.

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL teresa.livingaftergrief.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call

I am so very excited to have achieved the milestone of 2 years.  Being the host of Labor Pains Podcast has been both a humbling and educational experience this past year. As I reflect back, WOW I have met so many amazingly strong women and men over this past year that I will be in awe of for the rest of my life. As I talked about in this episode I have learned so much from all of my guest and those that have reached out for support this past year.

As I look forward to year 3, I will continue to have my guest share their stories due to the benefits it has proven to give to the guest and the listeners. There will be more episodes with guest experts to guide and help you the listeners and my clients in the many aspects of infertility and loss. Also, I will continue to share guidance and support to navigate the grief that is experienced with every infertility and loss journey.

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL teresa.livingaftergrief.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call

This episode is a re-release of episode 53. In this episode Allison Hursey shared the journey that she and her husband Chris have been navigating through to find peace with their unexplained infertility. She said I was beating myself up and had a really hard time dealing with the frustration and anger. Thankfully my husband loved me through it. They definitely had a large amount of stress that they thought could be the problem, so Allison said she has been working hard to find peace in her life.

If you are still on your journey, I know you will find great value in listening to Allison's entire journey. She shared an amazing amount of insight and knowledge on how she has become OK with her story. A few things we talked about were people saying hurtful things, grieving never being a parent or grandparent, and family and friends grieving. Allison said she has put in the work to be OK but family and friends are still grieving and when others are grieving for you it is hard and you feel guilty for being OK. I am not thrilled with my situation, but I am content, which has come with time, prayer and putting in the work.

Here are a few of the words of encouragement and insight that Allison shared:  Pray your heart out. First it was Lord let this work and then it changed to Lord let me be content and give me peace. Praying for peace encompasses if it works and if it doesn't work. Your story can have a happy ending, but it may not be what you had envisioned. Remain hopeful and trust the plan. Be intentional about living out a peaceful life. We can pray about it but we need to put in the work like reading, listening to podcasts and journaling, seek out and fill yourself with positivity, hopefulness and peace.

Connect with Allison: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/alli.hursey  or Instagram - @alli_marie623

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL teresa.livingaftergrief.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call

Chandria Taylor's therapist encouraged her to start journaling after she lost her daughter, Adelyn Rose. She loved to write and said I didn't know I had so much to say until I put a pen to paper. There was more  of me than I thought. She turned her journaling into her first book, Like a Rose: The Thorns. Every Chapter in this book also includes the story of an angel mom that had connected with her in a safe space to share their stories. She has continued to write and has published 4 additional books and a 6th book to be published later this year.

In addition to writing her books to spread awareness and honor her daughter, Chandria has created and maintains social media platforms to help mentor others. She also started a non-profit in 2019, to be for others, what someone did for her and to offer the things that she needed when she lost her daughter. She offers items for comfort to other women through local hospitals and holds a Women's conference annually for all women.

Chandria received an award this year from the PAIL organization for the Most Inspirational Angel Mom. Well deserved!

Chandria's words of encouragement for you: I encourage you to do what works best for you to honor your child. There is nothing too little or too big in honoring your child. Don't let anyone make you feel like you are not doing enough. What you're doing is enough. Also there is no comparison and if you want to do more partner or volunteer with an organization

Chandria's Books: Like A Rose, The Thorns,  I Have A Little Sister,  When Our Feelings Are In Pieces, The ABC's To Loving Me, The ABC's To Black Boy Joy

Connect with Chandria:  

Instagram: @likearosear.  Facebook: like a rose- adelyn rose.  Tik tok- @likearosear

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL teresa.livingaftergrief.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call

Charie Motley is a mother, licensed clinical psychologist, and certified perinatal mental health professional who has experienced pregnancy loss, and challenges during pregnancies. She went in for a routine ultrasound to find there was a problem. They determined later she had a missed miscarriage and her body never miscarried the baby. She remembers people trying to be supportive by saying, at least...., or at least.... They were well meaning and it made me feel worse.

This was the darkest moment in my life. She said I kept thinking about others that were alone like myself, that are feeling they could have caused it and having a lot of guilt. At that moment I knew I wanted to help others going through pregnancy loss. She started to journal so that she would not be holding it all in and reached out to a professional to help her work through the grief. Charie said I have expertise in treating perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, but most importantly, I can connect to women and families on a more human, “I get it” kind of level, which makes all the difference.

Charie's insight and words of encouragement for you:  Always, Always, Always listen to your heart and your gut. Follow your intuition , it will never lead you down the wrong path. I want women and families to have hope and I was not expecting to have a baby after my loss and I did a lot of work to be where I am today. The path of healing is really one minute at a time, one hour as a time, one day at a time. Give yourself grace and advocate for yourself and never suffer in silence because you do not have to. As mentioned in the episode, May is Maternal Mental Health Month.

Connect with Charie at https://blusrainbow.com/   email: [email protected]

Social Media: @blusrainbow #blusrainbow

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call

Cheryl Layton lost her son 31 years ago just days after his birth. She talks about all the What If's? Should I have done more? Did I do something wrong? Like many parents Cheryl said when I look back I blamed myself and I felt like everyone blamed me. Cheryl said for many years she was very scared and paranoid that something else would happen to her daughters or her grandchildren.

She continues to ask, how do I get past it? Am I supposed to let go of it and am I supposed to be happy. How do I get over this? She fears she is the only one that remembers him and the only one that keeps his memory alive.

Traumatic grief is experienced when you loss a child and it is important to find the right person to help you navigate through the grief so you are not stuck in the grief and are able to heal. As a grief coach I am available to help you grieve in a healthy way.

Cheryl's Encouragement and Insight for you:  Stay close to God. Wait for God to answer your prayers. Let go of what other people think and focus on yourself and do what is best for you. Honor your child as you want to and don't worry about others. It's ok to cry and its ok to not be ok.

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL teresa.livingaftergrief.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call

Traumatic Bereavement is suffered with infertility, pregnancy, infant loss and child loss. Parents are not supposed to bury their children. One of the most difficult things about being a mother of a baby in heaven is that others either don't remember or they do not allow mothers to talk about the baby they still love so deeply.  Women mother their babies in their womb and love them so deeply in their heart. The mothering of a child continues in the mourning of that child.

Traumatic grief unleashed every hidden emotion, ailment, and hormonal issue that a woman has had in her life. All things, emotions, events and experiences are stored in your body and mind, grief will resurface them. These are all things that will need to be navigated through. There is a tremendous amount of work that will need to be done to grieve in a healthy way.

Grieving moms are longing for validation, meaning and significance as a mother. In addition to hoping and praying that people in their lives will show them sensitivity and honor.

As a grief coach I'm here to walk with you in navigating your grief.

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL teresa.livingaftergrief.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call

Chandria Taylor is a teacher, an author, singer and dancer. She is the mother of four beautiful girls named Rylen, Jacelyn, Adelyn and Eden. Her daughter Adelyn Rose was born sleeping on November 1, 2018. Chandria now is the founder of Like A Rose, a nonprofit in Illinois that raises awareness and provides support and services to families who have experienced child loss.

Chandria shared her story and journey of the loss of her daughter Adelyn and how it has affected her and her other daughters as well. She shared a tremendous amount of insight on the time spent with her daughter after she was born. She shared that I had delivered my 2 older daughters and I just didn't know what it would feel like to deliver her and not hear her cry. She would have taken more time with her if she would have known she could.

I loved her insight on what to say instead of saying nothing. And never make yourself uncomfortable for the sake of someone else's comfortability. She also gave great tips on journaling which was so important in her healing. Chandria will be back on another episode in the future to share about her nonprofit, her books and the many other things she does to honor and remember Adelyn.

Chandria's encouraging words and insight for you the listener:  You can only do your part, so whatever you do as your part, do the best part you can and don't worry about what others are saying or doing. Take care of yourself. As mothers we want to take care of everyone around us and we forget that we have value and that we matter, and you will not be good for anyone around you if you don't work on you. You matter and your voice has value, your story matters and don't ever forget that. Do the best with your part.

Connect with Chandria: IG: @likearosear.  Fb: like a rose- adelyn rose.  Tik tok- @likearosear

Connect with Teresa:

EMAIL [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/.livingaftergrief/.

Instagram: @livingaftergrief

Website: www.livingaftergrief.com

click and schedule a time to talk: https://calendly.com/teresa-reiniger/podcast-discovery-call