Labor nurse shares how she honors stillbirths in the most beautiful way in viral TikTok
@labor_junkie_rn
"I always remember my patients that leave with a box rather than their baby."
@labor_junkie_rn
Many hospitals take great care to ensure that no family leaves the labor and delivery ward empty-handed, even grieving parents. One high-risk labor nurse is sharing the painstakingly beautiful process of how she creates a memory box for a stillborn baby in a now-viral TikTok video.
“I always remember my patients that leave with a box rather than their baby,” she captions the video.
She begins making the items, starting off with a customized bracelet with the baby’s name. Next comes footprints and a tiny lock of hair, hand-sewn clothing the hospital keeps on-hand for the babies (likely made by volunteers), personal photos for the parents, and perhaps the most touching item of all—a teddy bear with the stuffing pulled out and replaced with a bag of sand that weighs the exact weight of the baby.
Imagining parents who have endured the tragedy of a stillbirth embracing this bear is heartbreaking, but also so incredibly moving.
“We give the family this box to honor their child’s memory and make sure they know that we remember your baby,” the captions in the video read.
These types of memory boxes distributed to the families can aid parents in the grieving process while giving them something personal to cherish at the same time.
The viral video has many, many comments from people—and fellow grieving parents—who were incredibly moved by the care and thought behind all of the items in the memory box.
As a mom of a stillborn, this should be standard at all hospitals. Bless you.
I was fullterm and my first son was stillborn… wish I would of had a fraction of this
i had my stillborn son when I was 19 years old , at almost 30 weeks pregnant..i wish someone would’ve done that for me so bad
I lost it when you put the amount of sand as the same weight as the baby
This was really hard to see. My daughter was stillborn at full term in July. I miss her. Thank you
This was really hard to see. My daughter was stillborn at full term in July. I miss her. Thank you
I will never forget the nurses who did this for me. Truly blessings on earth. Thank you so much!
Each year in the United States approximately 24,000 babies are stillborn. Stillbirths occur almost 10 times more often than Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). There is also a significant racial disparity; non-Hispanic black women have more than double the rate of stillbirths compared to non-Hispanic white women.
Research shows that the way grieving parents are treated by healthcare professionals when experiencing a loss can significantly impact the way they experience the grieving process.
It’s so important that these families receive the love, comfort, and support they deserve. Healthcare professionals like this nurse who give mothers and fathers precious, personal possessions of their child are absolutely priceless.
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