They Were Still Born

Stillbirth, defined as the death of an infant between 20 weeks' gestation and birth, is a tragedy repeated thirty thousand times every year in the United States. That means more than eighty mothers a day feel their babies slip silently from their bodies, the only sound in the delivery room their own sobs. Eighty stillborn babies a day means heartbroken families mourn the death of children who will never breathe, gurgle, learn to walk, or go to school. In 2006, Janel Atlas became one of those mothers who left the hospital with empty arms; her second daughter, Beatrice Dianne, was stillborn at 36 weeks. Reaching out for comfort, she realized a dire need shared by so many others like her, and so was born a collection of new essays by writers each sharing their firsthand experiences with stillbirth. Atlas includes selections not only from mothers but also fathers and grandparents, all of whom have intimate stories to share with readers. In addition, there are selections that answer many of the medical questions families have in the wake of a stillbirth and that offer the latest research on this devastating loss and how it might be prevented. Grieving parents will find in these pages the comfort of knowing they are not alone on this painful path, validation of their babies' lives, and guidance from those who have suffered this tragedy. In addition, They Were Still Born both inspires and shows readers how to honor and remember their own babies and stories of loss. No parent- or grandparent-to-be sets out planning to purchase They Were Still Born. Unfortunately, there will always be readers-devastated, grieving, and searching for voices to help them through-who need it.

Janel Atlas is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in various regional and national publications. Since her daughter's stillbirth, in 2006, Atlas has written extensively about pregnancy and infant loss. She now lives in Delaware with her husband, two daughters and one son.

1 Forward 2 Introduction 3 One: What No One Tells You 4 Two: Blindsided 5 Three: Two Children, One Living 6 Four: The Traumatic Contradiction 7 Five: Living With (and Without) Caleb 8 Six: He Changed Our World 9 Seven: Mothering Grief 10 Eight: In a Wild Place 11 Nine: Born, Again 12 Ten: Just One Family 13 Eleven: Then Comes the Baby in the Baby Carriage 14 Twelve: A Plan Gone Awry 15 Thirteen: Saying "Grace": Family and Friend's Responses to My Daughter's Stillbirth 16 Fourteen: Our Christmas Angel 17 Fifteen: She Was Significant 18 Sixteen: How Death Can Bring Life: A Caregiver's Perspective 19 Seventeen: Invincible No More: What My Daughter's Stillbirth Taught Me About Life 20 Eighteen: Reunion Group 21 Nineteen: Standing in the Shadow of Grief 22 Twenty: Grief and Creativity 23 Twenty-one: The Year of Angels 24 The Way Forward 25 Twenty-two: Honoring and Remembering 26 Twenty-three: Creative Expressions of Grief 27 Twenty-four: What We Know About Stillbirth 28 Twenty-five: Emerging Research 29 Twenty-six:Making a Difference: Resources