It’s every pregnant woman’s nightmare.
After an ultrasound at 17 weeks, Kim List was informed that her baby had no detectable heartbeat in the womb.
List had to make the painful choice to be induced and underwent 24 hours of labor to deliver her second son,
Gabriel.
"He was a little boy, and he just didn't have a very long time on this earth," List explained. "The word itself...it's a miscarriage. It makes you
feel like you did something wrong."
Gabriel was buried at the Angel Garden located at Cloverdale Cemetery.
Started ten years ago by St. Alphonsus Hospital, the location holds close to 1,000 babies.
For List, the cemetery is a bright spot in her story of loss.
"We felt like the Angel Garden was the perfect place for him to go and be with his buddies,” List said.
State law does acknowledge babies born before 20 weeks old and issues no life certificate or death certificate.
Counselors explained to us that this fact often leaves families empty following a miscarriage.
"We need to be respecting life at any point, and no matter how early loss is, it is still very important to a family. And so we need to have a special place of burial," said Christina Babin, Perinatal Bereavement Coordinator for St. Alphonsus.
15% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage and woman often claim there is a stigma attached to the loss.
"You'll have some people who have the belief that it happens so frequently - really should we do anything about it? And I'll tell them so does cancer and death, but should we not support people in those situations. It's not any different," said Babin.
Experts say providing support for families early on makes the grief process healthier.
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