Morden mom writes children's book to help others with pregnancy loss

Our hearts hurt because of our love for Alex. Aaliyah Taves still carries the memory of her son Alex. Alex was stillborn just over three years ago. Alex is still a part of my life. Like that's a grief that doesn't just go away over time. She's now using her experience with pregnancy loss to help others with a book. She wrote Still Your Heart Will Grow to help others feel supported in talking to their children about miscarriages or stillbirths. The process helped her with her own grief while answering questions from her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. And I want my daughter to have context for that, you know, so that if she sees me sad, like around his birthday, or if holidays feel especially hard for me, that she has context and language for understanding why it's hard for her mom, and that, you know, it's not her fault. One expert says that's why talking about pregnancy loss, especially to children, is important. In the absence of sharing about how we're feeling and perhaps the circumstances around a pregnancy loss or death, people create their own meanings, which might mean blaming oneself. For other moms who have gone through pregnancy loss, like Reese Dick, more resources are always better. Dick, who is also the founder of the Southeast Postpartum Center, says she always planned to talk about her losses, but it was difficult because her children are young. Taves' book has been a way to open the conversation in an age-appropriate way. She still reads the book to her young kids. Her most recent loss happened in April. Going through and reading the book after, you know, for six months, trying to explain to my little ones what had happened, it, I guess I had a mixture of feelings. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Aaliyah Taves says children's stories can be really powerful, and she's honored her story can now be a part of other people's healing. Dura McIlwraith, CBC News, Morden.