Sibling Rings // The SBD® Doula

Love Wildly is going to be the slumber party of all slumber parties, a weekend of fun, courage, tears and hugs. It is going to change your life.

And I love talking about it, because the more I do, the more people know about it and can plan on attending.

But I also know that there are so many who want to attend and who can’t.

And, more than you know, this hurts my own heart.

So, I’ve been thinking of some ways to include everyone, because my heart is one created for inclusivity. It’s just the way it’s made.

Here are the two newest parts to Love Wildly, and I’m really, really excited about them!

1. M0M Letters

If you’re a M0M longing to attend Love Wildly but you’re almost entirely certain that it’s just not going to happen for you, I’ll love for you to write a letter. Write a letter to share a little of what your journey is, and how we can hope for you. It will be anonymous, but we’ll read your words aloud. There is strength in numbers and your words being spoken in a circle of sisters who truly do “get it” is powerful, and I am believing with every morsel of my soul that it is a power that can reach through time and space and that reach you wherever you are at, at the precise moment you need to feel it most. Love.

You can use the little form below, or write your letter and send it to:
The M0M Center

11117 N. Oak Trafficway

Kansas City MO 64155

2. Sibling Rings

We know the numbers of pregnancy and infant loss are huge. We know it, because we are it. And while Love Wildly has a very strong emphasis on us M0Ms, there’s also DaDs (we’re having a DADchelor party on the Friday night!), and, there are tons, tons, tons of surviving siblings. Kiddos, both young and old, toddlers, teens and adults, who are siblings of children who aren’t alive, who died in gestational infancy or older.

And I think, a lot of the kiddos are hurting. A lot. But I also think that even the hurting ones have talents, gifts, and things that make them laugh. I think each one has a desire, a hope, a wish. They have a favorite toy or a dream of what they want to be when they grow up.

And these really good things can represent the person.

So, here’s the opportunity.

Sit down with your kiddos, with these “surviving siblings” – maybe they are “sunshine” kids (born before their beloved sibling not alive), or “rainbow” siblings (born after) – wherever they are in the birth order, for this activity we’re making “sibling rings”.

Remember making paper garland? This is how it works:

Take brightly colored construction paper. Let each kiddo choose his or her favorite color, actually.

Hold the paper vertically – straight up and down.

Cut a one-inch-thick strip from the top of the paper (the shortest side).

Bring out the markers, crayons, glitter, whatever you’ve got, and let each kiddo create a paper strip that depicts what they like, what they want, what they love.

Unlike paper garland, do NOT glue the ends together to form the circle. We will do that later.

Gather the strips from your kiddos and, after they’ve completely dried, mail them to: