Samuels Lullaby Gives Baskets of Hope to Grieving Mothers

Baskets of Hope from Samuels Lullaby

In light of pregnancy and infant loss awareness month, I would like you to meet my friend, April, of Samuel’s Lullaby. April is motivated mother that turned her grief into an organization, Samuels Lullaby, which sends love baskets to mothers who have recently lost their baby in utero or shortly after birth. Samuels Lullaby baskets are not skimpy, they are packed full to the brim of good stuff! I am honored that my Encourage Mint Tea is among the many things included in each Samuels Lullaby basket.

Encourage Mint Give-A-Way.

To help spread awareness about this necessary organization I am giving away a tin of Encourage Mint Tea. So stick around to find out about that and how it get $5 off your order.

April, Founder of Samuels Lullaby

My name is April and I am Samuel’s mom. My son was stillborn on March 10th, 2014 at 12:25 in the afternoon. That day was the day that changed me and my purpose in this life forever. I, like most moms, believe that our greatest blessings are our children. We love them and mold them to be these amazing people, who one day will go out into the world and make their footprints. However, when you bring a child into the world that is silent, all those hopes and dreams are lost. You lose all those goodnight kisses and their high school graduation. You lose a lifetime of memories. For me I spent 38 weeks planning for the son I had dreamed of for years only to have that taken from me in a heartbeat. Can you imagine having a child and nobody speaking of that child again or saying his or her name? I couldn’t! The pain was unbearable! I remember laying on the operating table getting prepped for my C-section and they had brought in 2 anesthesiologist. I think that they were just being precautious. I was emotionally broken and they were not sure what was going to happen in that OR. My husband had not yet come into the room and these two big guys were sitting there holding my hands and all the kept saying to me was how sorry they were and to tell them if I needed anything. They wiped my eyes and held my hand and when my husband got to my bedside they still wiped my eyes and held my hands. I remember the room was so cold and quiet. All I could hear was the sound of my own tears and the sound of the instruments on the table. I remember laying there thinking maybe they will open me up and find that he is okay, that this was just a huge mistake. I heard the nurse whisper time of birth 12:25 pm. I can’t describe the feeling that I had in that moment. I felt like my heart had left me. It was like I could feel that piece of my soul leaving my body. I felt empty and broken. I knew that I would never be the same. I left the hospital with a stuffed animal and a broken heart. I went home to an incomplete family and to people who didn’t know what to say or what to do. In my effort to try and sort through my grief and my anger towards God, I began seeing one of the Pastors at my church. It started out as a cry fest. It was my opportunity to complain about what God had taken from me and for Chris to sit there and say you have every right to be mad and then go into some reason as to why I shouldn’t be angry in a way that only Chris could do. In one of my talks with him, he told me about another mom who had just suffered a loss. He said she was having a hard time also and that I wasn’t alone. I left there almost angrier than when I had went in. I didn’t understand why someone else was being put through this pain. Something in me told me that I needed to reach out to her and let her know that she wasn’t alone and that I knew what she was going through. I asked Chris if I got her a gift and wrote her a note would he be willing to pass it along. He said he thought that was a great idea and of course he would.

The Birth of Samuels Lullaby

So off to Target I went and what started out as a small stuffed elephant and a card turned into a basket full of items and a two page letter. When I took the basket back to the church to drop it off, Chris looked at me in complete disbelief and said you might be onto something here. He turned around and walked off leaving me to fill in the blanks. I sat on the ideas for several weeks and after a particularly rough day, I found myself with a bottle of wine, a whole lot of Kleenex and the feeling that I cannot let his life be for nothing. He has to have a purpose. My living kids have a purpose and I can’t let him be forgotten. I looked at my husband, slammed my keyboard back into my desk and said I know what I am going to do. I got a notebook and just started writing down ideas. The ideas were coming to me left and right from all directions. I would wake up in my sleep with things and would put them into my phone. I would text my husband these random things just so I would have record of them.

Samuels Lullaby

Before I knew it, Samuels Lullaby had a Facebook page  and a Go Fund Me page. Emails from moms saying, “Thank you for sharing your story, I don’t feel so alone now.” I started receiving money from people who wanted to help and suggestions from other moms. Thus, Samuels Lullaby was born! I had found the way that I was going to mother my sweet boy and a way that so many people were going to say his name. I found the way that I was going to put his footprints on this world. So, far I have sent out a total of 20 Samuels Lullaby baskets to 30 very special moms all over the United States since October 2014. Each Samuels Lullaby basket contains a variety of items. Each basket is made at the time it is requested. If I have the privilege of knowing the gender of the baby I make it a little more gender oriented. Every basket has two items that will never be changed, a stuffed elephant and a letter from me sharing about Samuel and his story. Otherwise, I put a variety of the following items in each Samuels Lullaby basket:

• A journal
• A picture frame
• A pen
• A lip gloss
• A coffee mug
• A package of Encourage Mint Tea
• A soft pair of socks
• A lotion
• A charm and a package of forget me knots in honor of baby Reece
• A candle
• A small book
• A pedi/ mani set with fingernail polish and remover

Hope for Samuel’s Lullaby

The hope that I have for Samuels Lullaby is that they moms will remember to take 5 minutes out of their day for themselves. The grief is so overwhelming and it can consume your day. I had a person that loved me through some of the hardest days. She would literally come to my house and drag me out into the world. She had suffered the loss of her twin boys so she knew what I was facing. She knew the pain and she saved me in more ways than she knew. She gave me someone to look at and ask all those crazy questions to and someone that I could look at and know I was going to make it through this. Everybody needs a hug sometimes and I know that every time one of these special moms receives one of the Samuel’s Lullaby baskets, it is a hug for them. It is that feeling of someone else understands and cares. I say their baby’s names. I validate that life.

Samuels Lullaby Basket Request

The requests don’t usually come from the mom. Usually it is a friend or a relative that emails me the mom and baby information. From there I put together a Samuels Lullaby basket and mail it out to them. Sometimes, I do hear from the mom. Sometimes I don’t hear from the mom. Hearing back from them makes me feel like Samuel and I did our job.

Samuels Lullaby Long Term

My decision to turn Samuels Lullaby into a non-profit was based on my desire to be bigger. I want to be able to help more moms. I want to be able to offer more to them than just a basket. I want to work with hospitals, counselors, doctors, plastic surgeons, massage therapists and more. I want to have a list of professional people that these moms can reach out to and say hey this is what I have experienced and I need help. In addition, I want to have a Rolodex of professionals to call that can offer their talents to these moms. I knew if I wanted to be bigger than I needed to have that non-profit status. The process was very simple to get my non-profit because it is just me, a determined mom on a mission. Thank you listening to my story and I hope you all have a blessed day!

Michelle, Founder of Blooming With Joy

Samuel’s Lullaby is close to my heart as I have lost two babies. I have had the pleasure of getting to know April, she is a warm courageous woman. I hope you consider donating to Samuels Lullaby.

Encourage Mint Give-A-Way

In honor of Samuel’s Lullaby I’d like to give one lucky winner a tin of Encourage Mint Tea! The Give-A-Way is for $6.99 coupon off the price of your tin or anything in my store.

For everyone else, I would like to give you a $5 off coupon on your $40 order.

Use coupon code FALLFLAVORS at check out.

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