Honoring Infant Loss with a Gift

Three years ago when Beth and Brenden Scherping of Little Falls experienced the unimaginable loss of their first child, Bellamy, at 28 weeks, at CentraCare – St. Cloud Hospital, they were heartbroken but grateful for the amazing nurses and grief support they received.

“One of our nurses was truly a godsend as she shared her previous experience with a stillbirth to help us make some difficult decisions,” said Beth. “All of the nurses were angels sent in human form to help us through this challenging time. We also appreciated receiving Bellamy’s handprints and footprints along with other grief support materials.”

Back at home, Beth also was able to connect with other women who have gone through infant loss and she has since helped others through infant loss as well.

“I believe if I can help even one other person through a similar situation, it will be the good that comes out of our great loss.”

When they became pregnant with their now 1½-year-old son, Rowan, they were nervous but early genetic testing showed that everything was fine. During Rowan’s delivery, they experienced shoulder dystonia (when baby’s shoulders get stuck inside the pelvis during a vaginal delivery), so the delivery team needed to use a vacuum extractor to remove Rowan. The Neonatal Intensive Care team was called in to help resuscitate Rowan who was not breathing for about seven minutes. During this incredibly stressful and terrifying time, Beth said that her OB assured her that they would be going home with their baby and they did with no other complications!

Now as they are expecting baby number three, they want to show their gratitude for the incredible care and support they received when Bellamy was born. To honor Bellamy’s third birthday, they made a generous gift to ensure that other families continue to receive the same grief loss support that they did three years ago.