Testimonials
Families who have been helped"You were like my personal journal. I could ask you all kinds of 'crazy' questions and you didn't judge me, but helped keep me calm. You taught me so much and helped me make a Birth Plan that the nurses and doctors used. I couldn't have done this without you!" Toni-Marie
* * * * "You and your books have really helped me. Thank you! And thank you for being there for me/us when we connected in the spring. It was therapeutic--more than I could say...God bless you and your family." A Mom * * * * "As time goes on--the comfort I have is all the time we had with our baby and I know this is because of you. You changed the course of our experience qand therefore, our lives by giving us confidence and ideas for how to get the most from our time with our baby. I believe you were sent to us by some force greater than our understanding. I would love to help you on your mission in some way or capacity. I don't know how--but trust it will come to both of us. With gratitude..." A Mom * * * * "We had a most wonderful Baby Loss Doula who called us soon after receiving the horrible news, listened to our sorrow and fears, and helped us know what would happen next. * * * * "I agree with the name 'navigator'. We were on a road we had never traveled before. How would we know to spend every minute we could with our darling baby, making memories that would last a lifetime. They are so important to us these many months later. Our Loss Doula taught us and she explained 'why.' It all seemed so natural." * * * * "Thank you to the clinic nurse who convinced us to let a compassionate stranger enter our private and painful space. We will forever be grateful to her! " A loving mom and dad of an angel * * * * "How do I ever thank you for your gentle advice and advocacy work on my behalf. We ended up getting what we needed because as our Baby Loss Doula, you stood up for our rights and had respectful conversations with staff." A mom * * * * "We didn't know what we didn't know, but at the time of our loss we were in shock. Thankfully our Loss Doula DID know and helped us navigate the tsunami brilliantly." A couple who were helped * * * * "Nicole knew the ins and outs of what to do with our granddaughter in the NICU who would die and her twin sister who lives (picture-taking, meeting her, footprints, and so much more.) She was sensitive, calm, and wise. We don't know what we would have done with out her! She worked well with our family and the staff." Grandma M. "We really want to thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for everything you have done for our family - from the personal phone call (not once, but twice), and checking in with emails. To think that I would have never had the chance to spend time with Marin, to hold her, to make little keepsakes, would have been unbearable. Because of YOU and all of your selfless helpers (Margaret), we were able to make memories with Marin while we had the opportunity. We seriously, cannot thank you enough. I would absolutely love to put together a letter to the staff/you about why services like yours are SO NEEDED, and not really known about... It's because of this that this whole experience was less daunting, and is probably the reason why I am able to sit here and write this to you now." Marin's mom, Alyssa |
Independent Loss Advisors & Professionals"Being a Baby Loss Care Liaison for families enduring the loss of a baby is so very, very fulfilling…it has brought so much meaning to my life, and I also feel that it honors the importance of not only my son, Bryce’s, life (who was born still several years ago) but it also honors the importance of ALL babies lives who have gone too soon. Besides experiencing my personal loss, going through my own healing journey…the key to me feel so confident in doing this important, yet tender support work was to have received the in-depth training that I took to learn how to compassionately and competently care for families who are enduring the loss of a much loved baby. I received this beyond valuable training from the organization, Loss Doulas International and Babies Remembered…such an empowering gift it has brought me…and now, I can turn around and pay this gift forward (by using what I've learned in these amazing baby loss care certification courses to now help newly bereaved families in need of gentle, guiding support.)" Lori M.
* * * * Confident and Competent " I recently attended the BLD training in Minneapolis. It provided me with the tools to allow me to feel confident and competent in providing step-by-step individualized care to families who have/or are experiencing a loss. After the training I feel that all of my questions had been addressed and my knowledge of the grieving process and overall care for families experiencing a loss has been widely enhanced." Abbie, Nursing Student * * * * " I feel very prepared. I like the stories which relate and provide a foundation and appreciate the balance of empirical research and experience." Anon Student "Our nurses continue to be amazed at how much easier it is to work with families who are prepared and have gained some control after the intiial shock of hearing their baby has died and prior to being admitted. They can now take parents to an even higher level in caring for their baby." Vicky, Perinatal Loss Coordinator Here's what trainees have to say about our in person training:"Sherokee is a gifted speaker whose passion about her subject matter is contagious. She inspired us all to improve our practice and to take the best care of grieving families. This course should be required for anyone working with families who lose babies to miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, heartbreaking choice, and infant death. Sherokee is very up-to-date on the latest research, and gives real-world examples to support what she is teaching. I would highly recommend this course." Mary Radatovich, LCSW, Perinatal Loss Coordinator "Amazing training!! Very glad I could attend." D. "I enjoyed Sherokee's trainng. She was not only the instructor, bue she was a counselor and friend to everyone in the group. She is dedicating her life to others through herself and passing it on to others to do the same! Thank you, Sherokee" M. "This was very comprehensive. Stories were very educational and made this real to us... Excellent teaching." Nurse from NJ "What I liked? 'Everything! Such a rich, full experience. I truly feel like I learned many things.'" Anon "The helpful stories of personal experiences, the time shared with others in class were wonderful. It was very healing to be with others who understand and share the vision." Anon "Sherokee, thank you again for the great seminar yesterday, I surely think that it will change my practice.? San Diego participant " I found your workshop to be extremely skillfully presented and it deepened my knowledge of baby loss enormously. As a community-based psychotherapist I have specialized in reproductive medicine for over 30 years. Additionally I worked at in vitro fertilization clinics for 20 years. Many local hospitals, doctors and support organizations refer patients to me for pregnancy loss, stillbirth, genetic anomaly (with or without patient considering termination), SIDS and many other reproductive issues. So I have dealt with hundreds of grieving parents over the years...Thank you for sharing your sensitivity and your skill... I have tucked away the idea of studying further with you.? Laura A., MSW, LCSW "I thoroughly enjoyed that conference and we plan to share some ideas with our staff at a future staff ed session. You do such a superb job conveying the emotion and importance of all the issues that were discussed." Deb RN |
