SHARE Atlanta

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Pin
Available at our events and groups.

Dear All,

SHARE Atlanta (SA) has several activities on its calendar for the next few months. Along with our monthly meetings (Note: date change for men/women's group) and ongoing forums, we have these activities going on for SA: (Click on ions to follow links)

1. Inservices: Wellstar Center on Windy Hill on Oct. 26 from 8 to 10:15 am - for nurses and social workers of area hospitals and Kennestone Hospital -the hospital has changed the date from one in Dec. to one in Jan. but it has not been decided upon as of yet.

2. Annual Women's Candlelighting Service where we will decorate our yearly memorial tree

3. 5Bs -Blankets of Love. blankets, buntings, bonnets, booties and bracelets Packets continue to go to local hospitals

4. MEN AND WOMEN'S Meeting Changed: This meeting will now be on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm. It is at the same location.

5. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

NOTE: The BEST way to keep up with SA is through SA's Forum...All Updates and Events are posted there..come and join us!! If you have any questions about the forum, our forum moderator, Adrianne will help you!

SA's Moderated Forums Grief Support- Monthly and Event Updates Posted on Grief Support Forum

Email Adrianne

Memorial Services:

Important Note: We will NOT be holding our Angel Garden Memorial Service this year.

Our memorial service at the SHARE Atlanta Angel Garden will not be held this year in October.

Our annual Women's Candlelighting will be held as usual on the 3rd Wed. of November (the 17th this year). Please bring a candle(s) to light in memory of your baby(s). We are not asking everyone to bring food this year, but if you would like to help with providing some food, please email me.

We will be decorating our memorial tree for a local hospital during the candlelighting. If you would like to include an ornament in memory of your baby for our tree, please bring it on that day or mail it to my home. As always, the theme will be Forever in our Hearts. You may include your baby's name and dates on the ornament. We always suggest that you consider making or purchasing another similar ornament for you to keep in memory of your baby.

This candlelighting is a very special time for our SA moms and their women friends or family members. We come together to remember, to honor and to share our love for our wee ones. Many of our members from years past come to remember and give our newer moms support and hope. Please join us.

Link that includes information about our Women's Candlelighting service and Memorial Tree.

Inservices:

During our inservices, we share our SA program, our thoughts on families and grief, and offer support and information to nurses, social workers, and chaplains who work with high risk patients. Many of these professionals will be faced with situations such as ours. We have done this inservice twice annually for 4 years now.

I have developed a power point with coordinating booklets. We discuss what to say and not to say and we re-enforce positive interaction between parents and professionals.

We have very, very positive evaluations after each one of our inservice presentations. We have been doing inservices since 1985! They are an healing activity for those who join us because they give us a place to bring our experience full circle in an effort to help future families. Our experiences tied with what we have learned about grief in SA's grief groups, provide an incredible platform for open discussion with those people who we know will be THE initial responders/supporters for future families. It is a true outreach of love in memory of our children. Please let me know if you can join us.

Email Marcia

Link that explains our "Blankets of Love" Outreach

We have over 300 packets to give out!!! Families and friends continue to send them to us..since 2006.

I developed a 5Bs' brochure for us to give to hospital staff (we will be handing this out at our inservices). It suggests better ways to make a fuller use of our packets. From talking with parents, I realized that, sadly, our gift items aren't always given to parents so that they can use them while they are with their baby. Or sometimes, items are washed just before they are given to parents as they depart the hospital. In talking with nurses, we find that some don't fully understand the importance of these items.

We continue our outreach to the caring professionals because we know that they do wish to find more positive ways to support parents

Group Meetings:

In our meetings, we acknowledge that healing does happen. We explore ways for it to happen. It is a very comforting and healing time together.

September's meeting Topic is Grief and Future Choices.

We look at how the timeline of grief influences the way we think and reflect about our choices on the path of "what will be." We discuss pre-subsequent pregnancy doctor consultations, birth plans, and other options that parents might be considering. Through the years, SA parents have made many good choices as they walked their path, and it helps to share some of these together. We are blessed with many supportive doctors and caregivers and we offer support as you work to make the decision about a subsequent child.

October's meeting topic is the Significance of You and Your Baby.

We will be talking about the special relationship we have with our precious baby.

As we come together at our meetings this month, those who wish to, share special treasures, sonogram and baby pictures, scrapbooks, poems, etc. that they might have in their memory boxes. We understand that not everyone has named their baby or has a treasure to hold on to, and we realize that this is a personal decision. We also know that sometimes this is because a parent has been made to feel that such an expression is morbid or unnecessary because "we didn't know" our baby.

Well, we did "know" this child - in some way - or we would not be feeling the pain we are. Recognizing that for what it is, then allowing ourselves to remember, grieve and heal..as we can, in our own personal way ... is what this meeting is all about. We will be sharing about this very special relationship.

November's Topic is: "Coping with the Holidays" at the Men and Women's Meeting -11.2.10 and "The Women's Candlelighting" at the Women's Meeting - 11.17.10

Link to information about our Meetings.

October is Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Awareness Month:

SA's brochure describing what this month means to families.

SA's pages on our website that describe what this month means to families and its history.

Each year many, across the United States- and increasingly in other countries, who support families in the Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Community walk in memory of their babies. SA’s official “Walk to Remember” combines with our annual fund raising drive for our MODs March for Babies outreach in April (though the fundraising begins in Feb.).

SA's “Walk to Remember” continues all year long as we work to walk the healing path with various options. At first our steps are wobbly, but as we learn to cope and work through our grief, they become more defined and even. We learn that the meaningful outreach activities that we choose to become part of are an extension of the love we feel for our babies.

You will find more about SA's March of Dimes' "Walk to Remember" at this link...

The March of Dimes and EJ's story...There is hope. His family walks every year in memory of their daughter, Courtney, and in celebration of EJ's life.

Some of SA's Archived Newsletters since 2004:

Newsletter Link

We have had newsletters since 1985. Advocacy, Awareness, Support, and Healing have been our focus for all of these years. Come join us..as our mission continues.

Here are some of our archived newsletters that have stories and sharing that are just as significant and special today as they were when we first published them. Take time to read through some of them.

Many of those who shared in these newsletters are still active volunteers with SA!! They healed, found hope and peace, and give back to SA in memory of their special babies..also to thank others who helped them during their difficult path.

Together we can make a difference. Please consider joining us at one of our meetings or events. You will find comfort and support. It is never too late to come and join us..healing happens over time - as you can let it happen.

It means much to hear from you via email. If you have a moment to write, let us know where you are in your healing journey.

Take care,

Marcia

The love stays..forever in our hearts.

SHARE Atlanta...since 1984

Our website began in 1997. We were one of the first to be on the web!!

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Month
Awareness Bracelet
made by SA's Kim

I added my babies' and living children's names to my bracelet.

Bracelet's of Hope From SHARE Atlanta's Kim Shiftlett.

Additional Links with Related Information

Support for coping with the Holiday Season

Coping Suggestions...Mementos, Ideas, etc.

(Kim's bracelets, Dana's Portraits and many more healing ideas are some of the many links found on this page.

Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Awareness Pin
Available at our events and groups.

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Graphics and "Music Box by Eclipse" on this Site are Copyright...click on owl!