MetroHealth will hold a monthly support group beginning in June for women who have experienced an early loss of pregnancy.
The sessions will be led by Cornerstone of Hope, a local nonprofit organization offering resources and counseling services, which will provide an opportunity for women and their partners to connect, talk or just listen to others about their experiences, MetroHealth announced Wednesday.
The goal of the group is to ensure women do not feel alone or isolated, said Dorsena Koonce, a MetroHealth spokesperson and founder of the program.
“Even after I shared the news about my miscarriage with family and friends, I still felt isolated," she said. "I knew the statistics. I researched the medical side of it, but it often felt like I was the only one who had gone through it."
Every woman's experience of pregnancy loss is different, but no one should grieve alone, Koonce said.
Miscarriage is common. Between 10 and 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, according to the March of Dimes, a national group that advocates for healthy pregnancies. About eight out of 10 miscarriages happen during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
"Now bereaved moms have the option to come to Metro and start the emotional healing after the physical loss,” she said.
Participants will receive early loss boxes with bereavement items for mothers and fathers, including tangible mementos, books on grief and special items to provide comfort donated by the Wooster-based nonprofit Forget-Me-Not Baskets, according to MetroHealth.
MetroHealth patients and non-patients are welcome to join the free sessions, which will begin June 7 at 6 p.m. Meetings will take place the first Wednesday of each month at MetroHealth’s Rammelkamp building.
For more information and to register, visit https://bit.ly/3C6yXeO.
