Podcast: Family Perspectives on Stillbirth and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death
In this podcast, two families share their personal experiences with the loss of infant children, one born still at full term, and the other at 8 weeks of age.
Through the experience, both families have seen the landscape around them changing, as old support networks are strained and new resources are discovered, and both have become spokespersons for infant death awareness and bereavement support.
| Entire Podcast | ||
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In the full podcast (19:06), we hear Nicole Alston, Paul Alston and Allison Glover relate their experiences before, during and after the traumatic death of an infant child. | |
| Excerpts | ||
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In this excerpt (3:06), Ms. Glover relates the story of the death of one of her 8-week old twin boys, Garrett, suddenly and unexpectedly in the middle of the night, and the bereavement support that came from those surrounding her in the days and months following the loss. | |
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In this excerpt (3:35), Ms. Alston describes how anticipation and joy gave way in an instant to a "macabre new reality" when they arrived at the hospital to deliver and learned their daughter Skye had no heartbeat. She also describes the ongoing support she and her husband receive from their church. | |
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In this excerpt (1:43), we get a rare glimpse into the reaction and response of a bereaved father, as Paul Alston describes how his life was changed the instant he learned his daughter Skye was born still. He also describes "Team Skye," a forum he created to address the unique needs of bereaved fathers. | |
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In this excerpt (1:26), Ms. Glover describes an "invisible network" of friends, family, first responders, nurses, doctors, clergy and others who made her grieving process easier through professionalism, compassion and ongoing support. | |
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In this excerpt (1:28), Ms. Alston relates, through personal experience as well as nine years of working with other bereaved families, what families need to get through the first few hours, days, weeks, months, and eventually years of bereavement. | |
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In this excerpt (2:08), Mr. Alston serves as an example of the stark differences between how men and women grieve the loss of a child. He describes both guilt and helplessness as a father, and a perceived responsibility as a husband to set feelings aside and support his wife in the early stages of grieving. | |
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In this excerpt (1:09), Ms. Glover describes how, in the absence of any formal bereavement support in her community, she decided to organize a support network, giving voice to the loss of her own child through supporting others in similar situations. | |
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In this excerpt (1:35), Ms. Alston, who was four years into her bereavement journey at the time of the interview, describes grief in the years and decades following the loss event as "unacknowledged," and decries a lack of ongoing support for parents whose loss may have occurred decades prior but who are still grieving. | |
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In this excerpt (1:30), Ms. Glover stresses the importance of self-care during the early stages of the grieving process, including getting enough rest, eating properly, getting out for some exercise, and finding ways to express feelings through a journal, counselor and/or support group. | |
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In this excerpt (0:42), Ms. Alston describes her aspirations for the Skye Foundation, which she founded in honor of her daughter as a resource for bereaved families. | |
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Nicole and Paul Alston established the Skye Foundation in memory of their daughter Skye to raise awareness of placental abruption and other bleeding disorders as they relate to pregnancy. |
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Allison Glover, C.H.E., is a community health educator and home business coach and has founded Garrett's Voice in memory of her son to offer trainings on risk reduction and bereavement support. |
