134: Child Loss 101 | What to Expect, Decisions You Can (and should) Make Now + How to Make The End Of Your Child’s Life As Beautiful As They Are

Losing a child isn’t something any of us want to think about... However for some of us, we know that we don’t have the luxury of putting off planning the logistics around the end of our child’s life. But where do you even start?   In today’s episode, bereaved mother Leah Deason, pediatric hospice nurse Gina Thuene, and Tiffany Goodchild, a mother who has dealt with hospice care, share their experiences with us to offer a guide for parents who may find themselves preparing for the loss of their child. We talk about the hospice system, decisions that you can make ahead of time to make the end of your child’s life smoother and more peaceful, and what the process of losing a child can look like.  TW: This episode will discuss child loss and the logistics of planning for such an event in gentle but frank terms. If this topic is triggering for you, consider saving it to come back to or listening in smaller segments to give you time to digest this heavy material.  Links:  Listen to Ep 130 on Anticipatory Grief.  Visit the website for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (end of life photography).  Look at @adventuresofamelieandbros stories for information on her diamond ring made from ashes of daughter.  Check out Leah’s hospice memory making Amazon list.  Follow Leah on Instagram @becauseofozzie!  Follow Tiffany on Instagram @lifewithkourageouskarter!  Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life!  Donate to the podcast or Contact me about sponsoring an episode.  Fill out our contact form to get a reminder about upcoming discussion meetings and the Skype link to join!  Follow the Facebook page.   Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions.   Access the transcript on the website here.   If you love this podcast, please leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcast app!    And finally, here is Leah’s list of books that helped her through the child loss process:  Holding On to Hope: A Pathway through Suffering to the Heart of God   Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow   It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand   Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief   Even in Darkness: A Guided Grief Journal and Daily Devotional to Uncover Raw Authenticity During Grief, Loss and Depression   You Are the Mother of All Mothers - A Message of Hope for the Grieving Heart   Born to Shine: Practical Tools to Help You SHINE, Even in Life’s Darkest Moments   I Am Here: The Journey from Fear to Freedom   Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not   Gentle Willow: a story for children about dying (their own death or others) by Joyce C. Mills, PhD    Little Tree: A Story for Children with Serious Medical Illness