BRAVE Guidance
The holidays can be a delicate time for grieving parents. The sights and sounds that once brought joy might now bring a deep ache, especially as we think about all the ways we used to celebrate with our children.
Losing anyone is an indescribable pain, a void that often feels impossible to fill. For me, losing my daughter Ari has been my life’s greatest challenge. Yet, through my grief and loss, I have learned so much.
After a fatal diagnosis at 13-weeks gestation in November 2016, we were told our second child was not expected to survive pregnancy, labor, or delivery. The diagnosis, Trisomy 13 - a chromosomal disorder that disrupts the brain’s ability to tell the body and its organs how to function. Devastation set in. Little did I know how hard this journey was going to be, how beautifully painful and painfully beautiful, at the same time.
The evidence is strong that good sleep can help with healthy bereavement. Taking control and ownership of everything you can do to stay healthy and sleep well during this time gives you a sense of power.