Three bereaved moms share their beliefs about the connection between their children who have passed and their children who follow. They talk about the beauty of the signs they have been given, the intersection between life and death, and seeing beyond what happens on earth. 

Parents of a baby son who was born with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) talk about how brutal it was to exit into the real world after he died; how isolated and alone they felt; only the people who had been with them in the NICU understood. “It is hard to know what our place is now.”

Parents of a baby son who was born with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) describe knowing that their son’s body could not go on any longer, that they had done all they could for him, that it was time to let him go, and what that was like … to shut off the monitors, remove equipment, play music for him, and hold him. “It made me feel a little crazy … but it was the most loving thing we could have done. … We knew it was right, despite how wrong it was.”

Parents of a baby son who was born with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) talk about figuring out how to get home or step away from the NICU (the importance of the nurses)

Parents of a baby son who was born with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) describe the NICU as a beehive and offer their suggestions for how to navigate it and cope with the heightened sense of focus. Toys, books, music, routines as possible; and staying off social medi; self-care; and the importance of pumping.

Parents of a baby son who was born with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) talk about how the palliative care team interacted with and supported them, and helped manage their son’s pain and consider the future. “They really saw us as people and as parents. It was an awesome help to have them there.”

Parents of a baby son who was born with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) talk in detail about their medical decision-making and hopes in such an intensive situation. They speak about their tremendous efforts for their son and what informed their decisions, including their perception of his physical suffering.

Parents of a baby son who was born with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) talk about they supported their older son who has autism – during the NICU hospitalization and through bereavement – utilizing child-life, keeping a schedule, processing death, and loss.

“Being Gabriel’s parents prepared us immensely to be Sage’s parents and it has aided us and in understanding grief. I do feel like we’ve aged an extraordinary amount.”