Support during miscarriage

Last updated on: February 25, 2013 at 8:00 am by Sarah Whedon

Support during miscarriage 2013-02-24T20:46:49-05:00 Sarah Whedon

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Whenever I’ve written here or on Facebook about pregnancy loss, I’ve heard a clear request for more support for Pagans experiencing loss, specifically support that isn’t overwhelmingly Christian in language and ideas. I think The Amethyst Network is one organization that can help. Their mission is to provide doula support and “to break the social taboo surrounding talking about miscarriage, and to support, advocate, educate, comfort, and share our stories of loss, grief, and hope.”

I find it promising that they have Paganism on their Spiritual Journey page, even though they don’t have anything to share about Paganism yet (they’re a pretty new organization so most of these sections are still blank).

So I decided to work on getting listed with The Amethyst Network as a loss doula, via their Ruby Path for people who already have doula training (did you know I’ve trained as a birth doula and an abortion doula?). My first step was reading After Miscarriage, which is a book full of useful information especially for people who have endured multiple miscarriages and want answers.

Today I want to share some of the ideas the book offers for ritualizing a loss or memorializing the baby. It might feel right to:

Name the baby
Get a special piece of jewelry, perhaps with the baby’s birthstone
Plant a tree or other plant (trees are a popular idea, but consider what kind of gardener you are and how you’ll feel if your plant doesn’t thrive)
Write a poem or a prayer or the story of your pregnancy
Envision your baby as a person
Donate to a charity, especially one that helps mothers or babies
Get a tattoo
Release balloons
Light a candle
Name a star
Keep ultrasound pictures somewhere special

Or maybe none of these feels right. In many cases memorializing the baby won’t make sense and that’s ok too.

If you like what The Amethyst Network is doing, consider donating to the Indigogo fundraiser campaign they’re running for the next week. With this kind of work, a little bit of money can go a long way.

PS. Maybe you already realize that our own Molly is a founding member of The Amethyst Network, but she doesn’t know I’m writing this.

Previous Post

February 20, 2013

Wednesday Wisdom: Of the Earth

Next Post

February 26, 2013 Group Ritual to Acknowledge Miscarriage

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Adoption birth Birth Guardians birth stories breastfeeding Contraception divorce Flash Points From the Editor's Desk grandparenting home infertility marriage menstruation Miscarriage Pagan Families Parenting poetry postpartum pregnancy review ritual sex education Uncategorized Wednesday Wisdom

Select a Month September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Samson's strength came from his long hair.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE