Aisley's Story

Aisley Jo - 01.27.2019

2018 was a big year. I married the love of my life, Klayton, in October; with that, my 9 year old son and I gained an amazing family. Right away, my husband and I discussed growing our family, we both agreed that we wanted to do that, and being in our late 30's, we should go ahead and try. By the first of November 2018, we were elated to see those two little pink lines show up on a pregnancy test. We were over the moon with excitement and in a little bit of shock.

Pregnancy & Infant LossBrooke ArevaloOctober 20, 2019Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

Samuel's Story

Samuel was our second son. We became pregnant with him quickly and easily and announced gratefully to our family at Thanksgiving that we were expecting again.

I struggled with anxiety a lot during my pregnancy with Samuel. My first son had been healthy, but unexplainably almost 12 pounds at birth.

Pregnancy & Infant LossBrooke ArevaloOctober 19, 2019Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

James' Story

It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years already. Four years since our world was shaken.

This past August marks four years since our little family welcomed a new addition- one we had eagerly awaited and prayed for, for so long. And instead of snuggling him in my bed, I was on my knees in the hospital bathroom, with my head to the cold floor, begging God to spare our son. It was not supposed to end this way. This was not what I had imagined six months before when I first saw those two pink lines.

Pregnancy & Infant LossBrooke ArevaloOctober 18, 2019Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

Theo's Story

I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Lauren and I am a mother of two. One lives with me here and the other in heaven.

My daughter Winslow is not my first child. I got pregnant in the spring of 2017 and was expecting my first child a week after Christmas.

Pregnancy & Infant LossBrooke ArevaloOctober 17, 2019Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

Augustine's Story

When Brooke asked me to share about our son, Augustine, I knew I needed to take the time to write and focus on him. But when I went to write the words, nothing seemed to come. I have sat to write this out multiple times, staring at the screen, waiting for my thoughts to align.

Pregnancy & Infant LossBrooke ArevaloOctober 16, 2019Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

Holly's Story

To Brooke’s Blog Readers,

Brooke kindly asked me to share my story in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day (Oct 15th). I lost my daughter Hollyday (Holly) on May 20th, 2017 at almost 34 weeks gestation. In the immediate aftermath, I desperately needed to hear other people’s stories and learn how they processed their grief. I wanted to know how they moved forward after a stillbirth. The openness and vulnerability of the parents I found was hugely beneficial to me. In turn, I feel compelled to share my experience in the hope that it helps other families going through this same loss.

Pregnancy & Infant LossBrooke ArevaloOctober 15, 2019Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

Scattered Thoughts of Roman

Roman has been on my mind so much the last few weeks. Well, that is more so than normal. I usually think about him on a daily basis, but lately its been all consuming; everything reminds me of him. Sometimes the thoughts are sweet moments, as Fynn tells Jackson about his other brother, and sometimes the pain and heartache threatens to overwhelm me.

I’ve decided that I will just start writing some short posts, as these moments and thoughts come to me…

Pregnancy & Infant LossBrooke ArevaloJanuary 29, 2019Roman Updates, Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

Roman's First Birthday

Roman spent his first birthday in Heaven on November 27th this year. The days and weeks leading up to this day were increasingly hard. Instead of prepping, planning, and choosing a theme for my son’s first birthday party, we were trying to decide how to meaningfully honor him on a blustery Tuesday morning. What sort of traditions would we want to set in place, knowing that we will continue these until our last days?

Pregnancy & Infant Loss, Kid UpdatesBrooke ArevaloDecember 26, 2018Roman Updates, Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

Roman's Birth

On November 26, 2017, at 38 weeks and 3 days, I felt Roman move inside my womb for what would be the last time. Every night around 11:00pm, Roman would get the hiccups and perform a circus routine, and that night was no different. So just like any other night, I fell asleep to the peaceful lull of his hiccups.

Top Blog Posts, Pregnancy & Infant LossBrooke ArevaloNovember 27, 2018Roman Updates, Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

On Our Year of Grief

November 27th, 2017 is a day that will forever remain etched on my mind and my heart and physically on my body. That was the day that we had to say goodbye to our third child Roman. In the 365 days since I have grieved, some days more than others. My grief remains even as I write these words. What an interesting emotion to experience. We all have experienced it at some point in our lives and at varying degrees. One of my favorite authors Joan Didion explains her grief after the sudden loss of her husband of four decades. She writes:

Pregnancy & Infant Loss, Top Blog PostsRon ArevaloNovember 27, 2018Roman Updates, Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

I'm Still Grieving

Shortly after we came home from the hospital, I was scrolling through the pictures that Ron had taken on his camera. This photo immediately stuck out to me. First, he captured the pure joy I was feeling in that moment of meeting my son Jackson for the first time. But secondly, it also reminded me of another picture Ron had captured just 10 months before.

Pregnancy & Infant Loss, Top Blog PostsBrooke ArevaloOctober 8, 2018Roman Updates, Pregnancy & Infant LossComment

Pregnancy After Stillbirth

Today I thought I'd blog about what it's like to be pregnant after a stillbirth. Of course, we are overjoyed and thrilled to be expecting again. Those are the parts that people see on social media, so you already know the joy that we are experiencing this pregnancy. But it doesn't mean that it is an easy journey to go through pregnancy again, so I thought I'd shed some light on our struggles these past 6 months.

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