Our Subsequent Choices meetings are designed to provide a space for bereaved families to look towards adding a new baby to their family, while recognizing that their losses have a great impact on this next journey. This meeting is intended for parents who are currently pregnant as well as for those pursuing other means of expanding their families--adoption, surrogacy, etc. Topics related to pursuing pregnancy or other means of welcoming a new baby are very important areas of conversation for bereaved parents, but not everybody is ready to discuss them in detail in our regular bereavement meeting. In recognizing this, we welcome families who may be simply considering pregnancy or trying to conceive to attend our SC meetings to get a sense of what the pregnancy/adoption/surrogacy journey may be like, as well as to raise some of their own concerns about potential and hoped-for pregnancies. At Subsequent Choices our focus is on supporting families who are dealing with the complicated emotions of adding further children to a family who has lost a child and will support one another through this experience.
Subsequent Choices Meetings are on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. The time and location of the meeting varies. If you would like to attend, please contact the group facilitator, Carol McMurrich, at carolmcmurrich@comcast.net or 413-529-1610.
Families who are involved with the Subsequent Choices group for an extended time may elect to continue to attend meetings with a small, quiet newborn. While we recognize that the presence of a new baby can be difficult for some bereaved participants, in the past we have found that many bereaved parents feel true hope and joy in seeing their bereaved peers moving into this next stage. Parents of a newly born baby who has followed a loss can also offer useful tips about the intense emotions of the birth and postpartum period, as well as offering a general perspective on parenting after loss. As the meeting is an RSVP meeting, participants would always be made aware in advance if a baby were to be present. There are currently no babies in attendance.
