Courageous Mothers Community

The Road to Recovery

Broken. It all starts with the words “I’m sorry, there’s no heartbeat.” In that moment, I felt my own heart shatter into a million little pieces. I’ve been wrecked – mind, body, and soul. Body. My whole life I’ve faced illnesses, broken bones, and allergies. I’ve had multiple minor surgeries over the last 12 years. Nothing…

Courageous Mothers Community Forum Now Open!

Hi mamas! Joli here. The goal here at Courageous Mothers is to build a community. We love posting articles, but I want this to be a place to come for conversation, too! I want you to come here to find friendship and support from other mamas, all across the globe. So, I’m testing out having…

Book Review: Expecting Sunshine by Alexis Marie Chute

Expecting Sunshine is a new release by Alexis Marie Chute, about her first son Zachary, who was stillborn, and her subsequent pregnancy. You may have heard her name before – she’s a writer for PALS, her blog is called Wanted Chosen Planned, and she creating a documentary, also called Expecting Sunshine. In Expecting Sunshine, Alexis…

People Will Surprise You

I know that I haven’t traveled the road of a loss mama all that long, but I’m sure what I have experienced in my first few months will resonate with other moms. People will surprise you, both good and bad. I have friends and family who have nailed it – sending me thoughtful texts, saying…

Handling Empathy

There’s no doubt that experiencing trauma changes a person. The way it changes you depends on your personality, of course, but I think one thing is certain of all loss – it makes you more empathetic. Before losing Jonah (and my mom), I identified as an HSP – a Highly Sensitive Person. Yep, it’s actually…

We’ve Moved!

Come visit our new website at http://www.courageousmothers.com/

The House That Brady Built

This story starts with a home purchase, which is something that a lot of expectant parents start to think about when they find out they have a little one on the way. My husband, Jeff, and I hadn’t been looking for a new place at all until we found out we were pregnant. It quickly…

E.J.G. – a love story

Trigger warning: This post includes infertility, miscarriage, and stillbirth. Also, it is a bit lengthy. My name is Sarah Gatlin and I am a mom to a sweet redheaded angel baby, Everett. This is our story. Well, a part of our story. This is the story of how we fell into a love deeper than…

Happy 4 Months Born Into Heaven, Jonah ❤️ Handling Anniversaries

Anniversaries are hard. Today is 4 months since my Jonah was born into Heaven on January 22nd. I have yet to establish any sort of routine, or something I do on anniversaries to make them feel special. I would like to come up with something that I do every time…that sounds comforting. Maybe light a…

Guest Post: Hope Lives On

“I would strongly advise you against trying again until you complete further testing.” The doctor’s words grated against my heart and irritated an already open wound. Just four weeks earlier, I’d sat in this office clutching an ultrasound referral form and the hope that this baby would be mine to keep. Already, I felt the…

Tending Inward

Why are we so quick to dismiss our grief? Is it because we don’t know how to carry it? My grief came out of left field this morning. I know the saying is, “It’s funny how that happens”, but quite honestly, it’s not funny how my grief shows up still. It doesn’t care where I…

Gestational Trophoblastic Disease

GTD. What’s that, you wonder? When you’re preparing for or expecting a baby, your mind is full of acronyms like BBT (Basal Body Temperature), AF (Aunt Flo), DPO (Days Past Ovulation), BFP (Big Fat Positive), FTM (First Time Mom), PG (Pregnant), and OBGYN. If you were to Google the acronym “GTD”, it’s likely that the first result is…