Jacob Austin Memorial Project

Since my son was born still 3 months ago, I have wanted to do something for other parents who have to do the unthinkable and leave their babies in the hospital or watch them leave with a funeral director, instead of bringing them home.  While in the hospital with Jake, my nurses did an amazing job at making things I could keep as memories forever.  They took pictures of him, they made me extra wrist bands with little duckies on them, even though we never wore them.The nurses the night he was born took the time to make a porcelain mold of his tiny hands and feet, so that I could feel them forever.  Then they gathered all of this and put it in a beautiful box.  On top, they layed a manila envelope, containing his hospital certificate of birth to fill out with his tiny footprints on it and a baby book for babies who had passed away.  I was more than grateful to receive such, when I most definitely wasn't expecting it.  I was a bewildered mommy who didn't know what to expect.  It saddens me to think there are parents who leave the hospital with less than what I did.  That some mommies and daddies only have the pictures in their minds of their babies and not much else.

Another organization that helped me while I was in the hospital was an organziation called H.A.N.D (Helping after neonatal death) , they distribute teddy bears to the hospital in memory of other babies who have passed away.  I was very happy to receive such a soft cuddly teddy bear, and to know that I was not alone.  I however, was not so impressed later on when I went to visit their website on the teddy's ear tag.  The organizations website clearly states to the hospitals that they should only distribute teddy bears to those parents whose babies were over 25 weeks old, because the bears are expensive.  My son was born at 23.5 weeks. My social worker cared about me, and gave me one anyhow.  It seems this organziation wouldn't put that on their website, so the parents who receive them feel like they aren't important, because their babies were younger than 25 weeks.

I would rather no parent feel like I did... so these are my ideas for what I have labeled so far as the Jacob Austin Memorial Project

I want all of the gifts to be in a big pink or blue basket.

I want to start by adding a little stuffed lamb.  My memory box had one, and it was very special and still is because my eldest son Payton, also has a stuffed lamb and it is his most favorite!

Then, I also want to add a devotional for bereaved parents.  The one I have found is by GriefShare.  My only problem is that not everyone is christian and not everyone would appreciate this.  I haven't yet read this book or studied in the word with with this book, but feel like I would enjoy it.

The night Jake was born was a very hard night for me, I spent all of it crying, and trying to plan Jake's funeral.  I had a hard time finding music that I wanted played at his funeral, or music to comfort me in my time of need.  I know of many mommies who have found great comfort in Natalie Grant's "Held", so I would like to include the album in my basket.

Then this idea, just came to me yesterday, I want to include some seeds, so the parents could have pretty flowers in memory of their baby that had to "bud on earth, to bloom in Heaven".  I found these beautiful Teddy Bear Sunflower seeds through Burpee.  I am good friends with a lady who does stationary/paperworks and I'm sure she could make me individual seed packets to split up these big packages of 75.



Then to top it off, around the top of the basket I would like to tie a pretty bow.  I have found these two ribbons online, however i'm sure there are many more ideas in actual stores.

I love helping people, my family loves helping others in need, afterall I am going to have a career helping others... my only problem is that I think my dreams are bigger in this project than the funds.  I haven't added up the exact cost of each basket... but i'm sure it would be $40-$50, so I may have to edit what I do to them sadly. If you can think of any other things I should add to the baskets to distribute to my local hospitals, please let me know.

Today is the Tuesday Bereaved Mommies bloghop, so if you'd like to read about what other mommies are doing in memory of their babies, please click the Bereaved mommies button at the top of my page.  I hope you have a great Tuesday!