Empty Arms Bereavement Support: March 2010

A Western Massachusetts Chapter of Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss, Inc

WELCOME TO EMPTY ARMS BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT, INC.

Empty Arms Bereavement Support is a Western Massachusetts-based non-profit organization offering resources and support to families across the region who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. We are affiliated with the national organization Share. We have an established program in the Childbirth Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, where our organization began in 2007, and as our program has expanded CDH has continued to support us by hosting two of our monthly meetings as well as other special events. We also work with the birth centers at other local hospitals including Holyoke Medical Center, Baystate Franklin Medical Center, and Baystate Medical Center to provide resources for bereaved families.

If you are looking for support group meetings, we offer four different meetings each month. Please follow the links above for meeting times, locations and directions. We use this website and our Facebook page to keep participants updated about our meetings and other activities.

You don't have to attend a group to use our resources. Carol McMurrich, our founder and lead facilitator, is available for peer counseling and support. After speaking or e-mailing with you, Carol may be able to refer you to one of our telephone/e-mail support volunteers: somebody whose loss experience is very similar to your own. In this way, Empty Arms can offer peer support to those who may not yet feel comfortable with the larger support group setting.

We also have a lending library, an annual memorial walk, and occasional special events. On our "Links for Grieving Parents" page, we try to connect you to some resources we hope you will find helpful in the process of grieving your very difficult loss.

Hello Friends,
Here is a link to the most recent Share newsletter. I will warn you that the topic of the newsletter is recurrent losses-- so you may want to think before you read! Since I had only had one loss, the idea of reading about anyone who had experienced any kind of recurrent losses was unbearable to me. However, sadly I do know that so many of us do suffer more than one loss, and so for them this is exactly what they need to be reading.

I will take this opportunity to post reminders for this month's meetings.

Wednesday, April 14 will be our Subsequent Choices meeting. I know of at least one new birth so I'd like to invite our SC alums to return to meet the newest safe arrival and talk about parenting after loss for a good portion of our meeting. Your little ones are welcome.

Wednesday, April 28 will be our regularly scheduled bereavement meeting.

Lastly, an announcement about this year's walk:
We will be holding our annual memory walk on Saturday, May 8 at 11:00 AM. The walk will be followed by a picnic. Our mailing will be going out later this week, if you would like anyone to be added to our mailing list please e-mail me asap. I am going to be looking for volunteers to post signs in their town (at the library, at your OB office, at anywhere that moms go) to advertise this event so please e-mail me if you would be willing to do this (carolmcmurrich@comcast.net) We are also going to be offering t-shirts again this year so please e-mail Jean if you would like to order a shirt (jeanmonska@verizon.net) and those orders need to be in by the 24th of April.
We also would like to ask for volunteers to bake desserts and/or bring drinks for the picnic, so you could let me know if you are willing to do this as well.

MOTHER'S DAY WALK

Each year, members of Empty Arms, their friends, families, and interested community members gather at Look Park in the warm spring sunshine (or rain, or drizzle, or fog, but we hope for sunshine!) to remember the precious babies who changed our lives so profoundly. We gather and come together for a small, short ceremony in which the names of the babies are read and then we walk in unity around the park before coming together for a picnic lunch. This year, our lunch will be pot luck and we hope that this will draw people together more than in past years. We encourage you to invite family and friends, and to make a point to attend! This event is a lovely time to remember the baby (or babies) that changed your life. Everyone is welcome. You, your family, the general public. Those who are newly bereaved should be prepared that this is a family event, with babies and small children present. However, the focus is on the loss and amazing community that we have created around our loss and everyone always find it to be a supportive event.

Details:

Where: Look Park, Duck Brook Pavillion (upon entering the park, say you are there for the walk so you won't have to pay)

Time: Registration begins at 11, walk at 11:30, lunch at 12.

Bring: Something to share for the potluck!

If your last name begins with A-F, please bring appetizer or veggies to share. If your last name begins with F-S, please bring a main course or salad. If your last name begins with T-Z, please bring fruit or a dessert. We will provide drinks. If this seems intimidating or too complicated, just bring ANYTHING! We look forward to sharing this time with you.

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WELCOME TO EMPTY ARMS BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT, INC.

Newsletter, Announcements and Walk