Rebecca Keenan
AHN Bereavement Suite
Fundraising for Allegheny Health Network
Story
“I’m sorry, there is no heartbeat”
With those six words, our hearts broke and our world fell apart. Just like that, Caleb- and all the hopes and dreams we had for him and for ourselves as a family- was gone before he even got here.
We were a family of three again, not four. Carter was an only child again, not a big brother. I had a postpartum body, but no baby. Everything about our lives that had expanded to welcome and love this baby, suddenly contracted (well, not the body so much😏). It was surreal- at times, it seems it was all a dream. We are somehow just as we were, but irreparably changed at the same time.
Over the past two years, we’ve had time to process what happened, to count our many blessings, to rejoin our personal and professional lives, to find new joys and make new memories, to love each other fiercely and deeply... and it helps. In many moments, we are truly happy. But there will never be a day that we don’t miss Caleb.💙
In his memory, we have partnered with AHN to create a bereavement suite- a special place where babies who will be stillborn or are not expected to survive long after birth can be welcomed, loved, and mourned by those who love them dearly. A place where families can grieve without being acutely aware of the joy expressed at the arrival of other babies on the labor and delivery unit. This will also be a place where hospital staff will know to approach patients with the deepest sympathy and utmost sensitivity. A place where cheerful congratulations will not be bestowed. It is our hope that, through our experience and efforts, we can make the very worst day of someone else’s life just a little less awful.
https://www.htvnativeadsolutions.com/wtae/2022/05/04/local-mother-works-to-raise-awareness-of-bereaved-parents-in-labor-ward/