As I sit with my (almost) 8 year old daughter watching Harry Potter, I can still VIVIDLY remember 9 years ago when the floor dropped from under my feet hearing my OBGYN say "I'm sorry, there is no heartbeat." Gut wrenching. This was our first baby and I just never really thought about miscarriage or losing a child, and hearin

g those words was surreal. What made it even harder to comprehend, was this was my 3rd appointment. I was almost 16 weeks pregnant and we had JUST started telling people our wonderful news. We had heard that beautiful baby heartbeat 2 times prior to that day. I'm blessed with those memories. But as many of us know, it isn't uncommon. 1 in 4??? That's incredibly common, yet we never talk about it. As I started spreading the word that we had lost our first baby, women in my life started telling me their stories. Women I had known FOREVER. Cousins, aunts, family friends, even my own mother. Why hadn't I known? I felt alone for a long time, but then I found this tribe of women who had felt every emotion I had too. I remember saying to my mother, about an hour after I had found out I had miscarried: "Life can change in a blink of an eye".

I went on to have a D & C procedure, heal physically and mentally. However, I have and never will forget any part of my journey to motherhood. It has made me the mother I am today. Blessed beyond belief with 2 beautiful children. I have chosen to tell my story when asked by others because I'm not alone, and I want other women, men, parents to know they are not alone in this journey either.

XO,

Jen