You may wonder, “What is a Creative Healing Expression?” Well, a Creative Healing Expression is a gently guided process that includes art/creation/drawing/journaling etc. as a bridge towards healing from babyloss wounds. Here is an example. It is entitled, Mementos, and it is Creative Healing Expression Nine.
Creative Healing Expression Nine: Mementos
After your baby arrived earth-side, did you receive or have any mementos made of him? Did you get a picture of him? A plaster handprint? An ink print of his little foot? Or perhaps a lock of hair?
What mementos of your child do you have?
Paste in a picture of your baby on this page, or a picture of your mementos. You may wish to do a crayon-rubbing of his plaster hand cast. You might also wish to Xerox his handprint and paste it in here, atop a picture of your own hand.
If you do not have anything like this, do you have something else? Such as an ultrasound image, or a picture of you, heavy with child? Maybe you can write down the song lyrics you sang to him while you were pregnant, or even at his ceremony/graveside. Or perhaps you could add a photo of the flowers that blossom each year around the time of his birth, or tape a pressed flower onto these pages…
Use the next pages to add mementos and images…
Now,
each year,
when the lilacs blossom,
I shall think of you,
dear child.
~Mary Burgess
Affirmation: I will always have these special mementos and the precious memories of my child.
Self-Nurturance: Spend time tending your body, paint your toenails, rub lotion on your body, file your nails, put face cream on, pin flowers into your hair.
Action: Pick or buy for yourself today a single flower, the most beautiful flower you can. Or buy flowers to plant.
Excerpt from: Mending Invisible Wings, p. 62. ©2009
My heart is broken. . . It has been 3 weeks since our angel was born at 24 weeks gestation and too lil to make it. I dont know how to make it through this, and I have 5 other boys to care for.
Hi Paula,
Thank you for your note. I’m so sorry to hear about your broken heart and the loss of your baby. And with 5 other boys, you must be in a swirl – caring for others and perhaps not time to care for yourself. Even if you do something really simple, like sit outside tonight and watch the moon set after the boys are in bed, with a nice cup of lavender or chamomile tea, I hope that you can find a little space to honor your experience, nourish yourself, and allow yourself time to heal. Sending you love, m.
Early this year I found out that I was pregnant. We were surprised since it was really unexpected and we treated it as such a great blessing! But after a week of medication, the embryo is too weak to stay on my tummy. I loss my supposed-to-be third addition to our family. I was on my 5th week when I started to bleed. It was very painful knowing that this is my second miscarriage.