Guest Post by Melissa Ayala I knew this was going to be a problem. I wondered if I'd fit in. I knew somewhere the conversation was going to turn uncomfortable for me. I knew that part of the reason I felt extra emotional (on top of all the postpartum hormones) was because of Christmas and [...]
Guest Post by Christie Abbott As parents we do our best to cushion every fall, kiss every bruise, and mend every heart break, all while praying for the ability to take every ounce of pain our children feel in this world away. I believe this is true for all parents, but more so loss parents [...]
There were many years that I didn't like my body. I'm not talking the average my thighs are too big, my boobs aren't big enough, variety. Rather the "How could you do this to me?" and "How could you fail me and let me down time and time again?" Then there was the physical toll [...]
It should probably come as no surprise that women in pregnancy after loss (PAL) have higher rates of anxiety and depression during their pregnancy than women who’ve never been pregnant before or women who have never had pregnancy loss. There’s been plenty of research that about 20-25% of women in PAL have anxiety, and another [...]
Welcome to Pregnancy After Loss (PAL) Awareness Month Photo Challenge, March 2018. What is Pregnancy After Loss Awareness Month? In the world of pregnancy after loss there is a story of hope about a precious new life, and it’s the story of the rainbow baby. It is based on the understanding that the beauty of the [...]
The newborn period is hard on many families. Young babies are extremely needy and give very little in return. Add in the hormones, lack of sleep, and newness of most parenting activities, and new parents are overloaded and overwhelmed. In general, we have improved on education and openness about how trying this time can be [...]
We all fell further in love with Target (I mean, what mama doesn't love Target?!) when they released the Cat & Jack™ Oh Hello Little Rainbow bodysuit. As soon as photos of that infant bodysuit started showing up online, so many Courageous Mamas headed right to Target to get their own. Members of the community even [...]
As her first birthday is just two weeks away, all I have been thinking about is Evan's birth story. I wish things had gone much smoother than it actually did, but either way this is how she became our Rainbow. My whole pregnancy, I never trusted my body, as I have said many times. I [...]
Photo by Juja Han on Unsplash What a year it's been at PALS (Pregnancy After Loss Support)! We became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization this summer and launched the new PALS MeetUps, all while continuing all of our other support services. We look forward to reaching even more Courageous Mamas in 2018! One of the ways we support [...]
My rainbow baby recently turned one and I find myself reflecting on those dark days of pregnancy. Referring to pregnancy as “dark” probably isn’t socially acceptable. After all, shouldn’t I have been grateful just to be pregnant? Especially after burying a baby less than a year earlier? I was given another chance! Society reminded me [...]
