I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
“Vilomah" a name for parents whose child has passed away….
I am the mother to an angel. At the young age of 21, my husband and I lost our stillborn daughter. Her loss took us through the darkest periods of our life yet we are here, we don’t have all the answers but we have lived through the first few years of grief and am still making it day to day. My hope is that I can provide some little piece of comfort or support to another mom, another dad, another family member who finds themselves going through a difficult situation. We want our daughter to be remembered and we wanted to honor her memory by helping other families.
Southern Spirits is jam packed with information, recipes and history. I picked this book out for my husband, he loves his history and he loves learning more about his favorite drinks. This book contains recipes in each chapter, we loved learning about how tied into the history of the South that alcohol is. As a graduate student, I read plenty of textbooks, but this book was so much easier to read and I thouroughly enjoyed read and learning from this book! More info on the book can be found here and more on the author here. To find more about this book, look here.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
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May is anencephaly awareness month. Although I have not had a child myself with this condition, I have been touched personally by families and friends who have carried children with anencephaly. These families have carried their babies through pregnancy, loved them unconditionally, given them the most of the short time that they have here on this beautiful earth and I’ve watched as they’ve been tasked with one of the hardest jobs a parent can be given on this planet: giving their child back, saying goodbye. When issues arise in a pregnancy and a family receives the diagnosis of anencephaly, families have many difficult choices to make. Will they or should they continue the pregnancy, how do they continue on with a pregnancy that will ultimately end with a loss and even more, a funeral? About Anencephaly: Anencephaly is a congenital birth defect, this means that your baby’s brain will not fully develop. Although many babies that are diagnosed with anencephaly may live for a few moments and up to a few hours, this condition is fatal and unfortunately there is no known cure at this time. Families that have received the heart wrenching diagnosis of Anencephaly may not have the typical pregnancy/birth experience. Pregnancy can be a very special time to bond with and spend time with baby while you have the opportunity to do so. While the mother is pregnant, the baby can continue to grow and develop but necessary functions can’t continue for very long after the baby is delivered. Many anencephaly babies live through pregnancy to birth, some die during delivery and many others are born before due date resulting in stillbirth. The babies who make it through delivery may live for a few seconds, minutes and possibly a few days. Symptoms and Traits of Anencephaly: (may not be the same for every case) Absence of skull Folding of ears Cleft palate Heart defects Blind Deaf Lack of ability to feel Statistics: According to the CDC, 1 in every 4,859 babies in the U.S born with Anencephaly annually. 1 out of 10,000 pregnancies in U.S are affected by Anencephaly each year. How is Anencephaly diagnosed? Anencephaly is often diagnosed early (between 11 & 14 weeks gestation) by : - ultrasound - Alpha-fetoprotein - blood work - Amniocentesis For parents: Your grief is real, take it slow and enjoy the time you are gifted with your baby. First, prepare for you baby’s birth, welcome them into the world, bond with them, take pictures, introduce them to family and friends who are with you at the hospital. Name your baby, hold them, bathe them, and take their footprints just as any new parents would. Next, prepare your baby’s farewell. Decide on your memorial or funeral plans. Planning your child’s farewell may be difficult yet helps in many ways toward gaining closure in your grief. Again, go slow, this is your journey, don’t feel rushed to make decisions that can’t be reversed. Your baby is a person, they are a part of your life and a nice farewell plan helps to bring dignity to that short, sweet life. Farewell ideas : Memorial service Funeral service Balloon Release Butterfly or Dove Release Memory garden Memory chest filled with baby’s belongings Shadow box filled with baby’s belongings For family and friends- How can you help?
Support and ResourcesFacebook groups:
Anencephaly.Info. Anencephaly Angels Websites: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/anencephaly.html http://anencephalie-info.org/e/facts.php http://www.stlouischildrens.org/diseases-conditions/anencephaly http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/anencephaly.html http://www.prenatalpartnersforlife.org/ http://www.lhaaf.org/#!anencephaly/c10r4 |
Author:Just a girl, a wife, angel mother and friend... An infant loss parent, post menopausal 20 something year old and brain surgery survivor...I've been through alot and have a lot to share! Popular Posts
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