Blog - Stillbirth Matters

Mom-Shaming……

“Mom Shaming” has become a common activity in our society.  The fact that there is even a term for something so sad is heartbreaking to me.  Motherhood is HARD.  We would all be better at it if we had the love and support of fellow moms rather than criticism and judgment.  There are many social […]

If I knew then……

Dealing with platitudes is a common part of the grief experience. Many well-meaning people say them in an attempt to make grieving individuals feel better. We frequently hear things like “it was meant to be” or “things happen for a reason”. These two phrases, in particular, emphasize a fatalistic view of the situation. In other words – this is what was going to happen and was supposed to happen regardless of what the people involved said or did.

Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness – 2018

by Lindsey J. Wimmer, RN, MSN, PHN, CPNP, CPLC, Executive Director October is here again – and we have another opportunity to recognize Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month!  Last year, Star Legacy focused on why it’s so important to raise awareness.  The lack of societal knowledge about stillbirth impacts funding for research, support of […]

Why We Do What We Do…..

by Lindsey J. Wimmer, RN, MSN, PHN, CPNP, CPLC, Executive Director I am often asked if it is hard to be engaged in work regarding stillbirth on a daily basis.  Yes – but no!  The stories are heartbreaking and I wish that no new family would need to find us.  But I know in my […]

Helping Children Grieve – Marian Sokol, PhD, MPH

Chris Duffy’s guest for this episode of the Stillbirth Matter’s Podcast is Marian Sokol, Ph.D., MPH.  Dr. Sokol is currently the Executive Director of the Children’s Bereavement Center of  South Texas in San Antonio. Marian is the original founder and was the executive director of Any Baby Can for 21 years and president of First […]

Being A Dad With Help

by Jason Pratt Star Legacy Foundation Board Member “It’s time to go,” I said as I pushed my wife, Tandy, in a wheelchair toward the elevator of the labor and delivery ward.  We passed by several rooms in the hall where inside those rooms the outcome of pregnancies ended differently than ours.  Happier. Full of […]

Placental Insufficiency, Cord Accidents & More – Mana Parast, MD, PhD

MANA PARAST, MD, PHD In this episode of the Stillbirth Matters Podcast Chris Duffy visits with Dr. Mana Parast. Dr. Parast is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of San Diego School of Medicine. She is board certified in Anatomic Pathology and specializes in Gynecologic and Perinatal Pathology. Dr. Parast […]

Where is the curiosity?

  A sense of curiosity is nature’s original school of education. —Smiley Blanton by Lindsey J. Wimmer, RN, MSN, CPNP, CPLC, Executive Director, Star Legacy Foundation When my son was stillborn, I was told that ‘these things sometimes happen.’ Even though it may be true, it was very upsetting to hear. But I wasn’t upset because […]

Nóirín Russell, MD – Prenatal Parenting and Stillbirth Risk Factors

In this episode Chris Duffy interviews Dr. Nóirín Russell of Cork, Ireland and discusses the importance of  understanding stillbirth risk factors, maternal intuition and parenting babies before their birth. Dr Nóirín Russell, MD, MRCOG, MRCPI, is a medical graduate of University College Cork(2000) and a member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (2005) […]

Volunteers just have the heart…..

We often talk about the lack of awareness around pregnancy and infant loss.  Parents affected by these tragedies have experienced well-meaning people saying the wrong thing or not saying anything at all.  There are gaps in the health care system that make it challenging to prevent some of these deaths or obtain necessary care when […]