Mama Bear Care

10/15/2026

Sometimes, the sweetest gift you can give a grieving parent is to let them know you remember their baby. To say that little one’s name. To ask about them, and make room for the stories their family still longs to tell.

Today, October 15, we have an opportunity to do that together. 🕯️

At 7 p.m. your local time, we invite you to light a candle for at least one hour as part of the Wave of Light. Whether you’re remembering your own baby or joining someone you love in their remembrance, there is a place for you.

Here at Mama Bear Care, so many precious little ones have become dear to us through their families. We have prayed for them, celebrated their milestones, and wept with their mamas. We still think of them. We still love hearing their names.

To our dear families: we know this day may bring tender memories and fresh tears. We’re praying that God comforts you, and that someone reaches out today with the simple words, “I remember your baby.”

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
—Matthew 5:4

If you’d like, please share with us who you are remembering tonight. We would love to hear their name. 💜

10/14/2026

A little reminder for tomorrow evening, dear friends. 🕯️

Tomorrow, October 15th, at 7 p.m. your local time, light a candle with us for one hour as we join the Wave of Light, remembering our precious babies together.

As this wave of candlelight reaches around the world, we’re reminded that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” —1 John 1:5

Even as we ache to have our little ones here with us, we take comfort in knowing they are with Him, surrounded by His light and love.

To every mama and daddy missing their little one - We’ll be remembering with you and praying that you feel the Lord’s comfort and nearness. 💜

10/12/2026

💜 After receiving a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis for your baby, everything can begin to reel.

Your head is spinning. Your heart is overwhelmed. You're hearing unfamiliar medical terms, and trying to think of questions while you're still processing what you've just been told.

Sometimes it can be hard to even know what to ask.

Having a few questions already written down can help you slow things down, gather information you need, and feel just a little more prepared for important conversations about your baby.

We've put together a few questions you may want to keep handy as you meet with your baby's doctors and specialists. Not every question will apply to every situation or diagnosis, but we hope they'll give you a helpful place to begin.

And remember: Your questions do matter. And it's OK to use your voice. 💜

Save this carousel for an upcoming appointment, or share it with another Mama Bear who may need it.

🐻 Fierce Love. Tender Care.

10/09/2026

Finding the right care team can make all the difference. 💜

After receiving a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis, suddenly you're sitting in appointments hearing medical terms you've never heard before, meeting specialists you never expected to need, and being asked to make decisions you never imagined having to make for your baby.

And sometimes, a Mama Bear discovers that the care being offered by her current medical team simply doesn't line up with the care and support she desires for her baby.

That doesn't necessarily mean those are her only options.

Meet Kathryn and Elise, our Mama Bear Care Coordinators. Both are registered nurses who help our mamas navigate some of the medical questions and decisions that can come with a life-limiting diagnosis.

With their knowledge and guidance, moms can feel better equipped to understand the information they're receiving, think through questions to bring to their medical team, explore the options available to them and their babies, and make informed decisions with greater confidence.

Kathryn and Elise can also help a mom determine what kind of specialists or additional support she may need. And when a family isn't receiving the kind of care they desire for their baby, they can help explore alternate providers and care teams who may be willing to offer that support during pregnancy and after birth.

Sometimes that means seeking another opinion.

It could mean finding a physician or specialist with more experience caring for babies with a particular diagnosis.

And sometimes it may even mean traveling to another hospital or medical center where a family can find a team willing to consider the care and interventions they desire for their baby.

Kathryn understands just how important this can be from personal experience. When her daughter Indiana was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, Kathryn knew from her own experience as a NICU nurse that she would need to look elsewhere for the support and interventions she wanted for her daughter. She ultimately traveled more than three hours from home to receive care in Philadelphia.

Looking back, Kathryn says simply:

“That level of support changed everything for us!” 💜

A prenatal diagnosis can make a mother feel as though so many decisions have suddenly been made *for* her.

Part of what we want our Mama Bears to know is that you are still your baby's mother, and your voice matters. You can ask questions. You can seek another opinion. You can ask what other options may be available. And you can advocate for the care you desire for your baby.

And you don't have to figure all of that out alone.

“Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.”
— Proverbs 15:22

🐻 Fierce Love. Tender Care.

10/07/2026

There is something different about talking to a mom who has been there.
💜
Friends and family may love you deeply. Your doctors may be compassionate and knowledgeable. But after a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis, there are parts of this road that are simply hard to explain to someone who has never walked it themselves.

Our mentor moms have.

They know what it feels like to hear frightening words about the baby you love and then go home and live out the rest of your pregnancy with fear and uncertainty, daring to hope...

They know the appointments, the statistics, the strange new medical terms, the endless questions, the difficult decisions, and the mixture of anticipatory grief and hope we talked about in our last post.

And they absolutely understand how lonely and scary all of it can feel at times.

That’s why our NICU & Family Support Coordinator, Kathryn Kerr, BSN, RN, routinely tells newly diagnosed moms:

“Look for people to walk with you so you are supported and never alone.”

At Mama Bear Care, mentorship isn't about having someone tell you what decisions to make. No two situations are exactly alike. Every family we serve has their own story, and every diagnosis journey is unique.

Our mentorship is about having someone there to walk alongside you who has traveled a similar road - someone who gets it, who can encourage you along the way, who loves the Lord, and who will faithfully pray for you and your precious baby.

Our mentor moms can also help our mama bears sort through information, think through questions for their medical team, prepare for what may lie ahead, and find the confidence to advocate for the care they desire for their baby.

But sometimes what a mom needs most is simply another mom who understands why she is scared, why she still has hope, and just how fiercely she already loves this little person she hasn't even held in her arms yet.

That kind of support truly makes a difference.

And it is one of the reasons mentorship is at the heart of what Mama Bear Care does.
💜
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:2

🐻 **Fierce Love. Tender Care.**

10/05/2026

A Prayer after the banquet 💜

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the dear friends You have brought alongside Mama Bear Care. For everyone who attended our banquet, gave online, and faithfully remembers our families in prayer - we are so grateful. Please bless them and encourage their hearts as they help us care for the mamas who come to us.

Over the last year, with their help, You have enabled us to serve 162 moms and babies. Thank You for each precious life and for every mama who has trusted us with her story, her fears, and her love for her dear child.

Thank You for Erin and Avigeya, who shared so tenderly about Paul Robert and Lily Anna at our banquet. We are grateful for their courage and for the privilege of hearing their babies’ stories.

Lord, thank You for the work You have given us to do. Give us wisdom when a frightened mama reaches out, patience to listen well, and tenderness when words are hard to find. Help us offer practical care, faithful friendship, and the hope we have in Christ.

Sustain the families waiting for answers, those keeping watch beside NICU beds, those caring for their babies at home, and those aching to hold their children again. Help us serve them faithfully with Your love through every season.

Keep us dependent upon You as this ministry grows. May every gift entrusted to us be used wisely, every family be treated with highest dignity, and all that we do bring honor and glory to Your holy name.

In Jesus’ name, amen. ✝️
______

Dear friends, if you couldn’t join us, or would like to watch again, you can find the banquet recording on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/

10/02/2026

You can grieve and still have hope.

One of the hardest things to explain about receiving a life-limiting diagnosis during pregnancy is that the grief can begin while your baby is still very much alive.

You may grieve the pregnancy you thought you were going to have. The birth you had pictured. The years you assumed would follow. Suddenly, things you once took for granted feel uncertain.

But none of that means you have stopped hoping.

Your baby is still here. You still love feeling those little kicks. You still look forward to seeing that face and holding that tiny body against your chest. You still pray for good news, celebrate good appointments, take pictures, choose names, prepare for birth, and hope for as much time together as God will give you.

As Kathryn Kerr, BSN, RN, explains from both personal and professional experience:

“The joy and anticipation of meeting their baby coexist with grief, fear, and uncertainty.”

That is anticipatory grief.

And sometimes it can be confusing even to the parents experiencing it. How can I be so thankful for this baby and so heartbroken at the same time? How can I prepare for the possibility of losing my child while praying with everything in me that I won't?

But those things are not contradictions.

Preparing for what might happen is not giving up on your baby. Grieving what has already changed does not mean you've lost hope. And experiencing moments of genuine joy does not mean you've forgotten the seriousness of the diagnosis.

Sometimes joy and sorrow simply have to occupy the same space.

At Mama Bear Care, we help families make room to both grieve what has changed while continuing to love, celebrate, hope for, and advocate for the baby who is still here. 💜

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
— Romans 12:12

10/01/2026

October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month. 💜

At Mama Bear Care, we become deeply invested in our mamas and their precious babies. We get to know their stories, pray with them, hope alongside them, and celebrate each little milestone.

Sadly, we also walk with many families whose pregnancies end in heartbreaking loss, or who must say goodbye to their babies after precious hours, days, or months together. We hear the news with heavy hearts, knowing how deeply these children are loved and how fiercely their parents hoped to bring them home and watch them grow.

Preparing ahead of time for the possibility of loss does not make the goodbye any less devastating. And our love and care for a family does not end as their baby’s life transitions to Heaven.

“Mourn with those who mourn.”
— Romans 12:15

This month, we remember these precious babies and draw close to the families who miss them. We cannot take away their sorrow, but we can listen, speak their children’s names, pray, and keep showing up as they grieve.

To each mama and daddy carrying this heartache: we remember your baby with you. You are still part of our Mama Bear Care family. 💜

If you would like, share your baby’s name in the comments. We would be honored to remember your little one with you. 🧸

09/30/2026

The diagnosis is only the beginning.

The appointment ends.
She walks out still pregnant.

Her baby is still growing.
She is still carrying her baby. Still loving her baby.
And now she has to figure out what comes next.

More appointments. Specialists. Medical information she never asked to learn. Decisions about pregnancy and delivery. Questions about what care will be available after birth. Sometimes she has to advocate for the care she wants her baby to receive.

All while her own heart is still trying to catch up - fear, grief, hope, and uncertainty all at once.

That's why Kathryn Kerr, BSN, RN, our NICU & Family Support Coordinator, tells newly diagnosed moms:

“My advice is look for people to walk with you so you are supported and never alone.”

Kathryn isn't speaking from a textbook. She walked this road herself with her daughter, Indiana, who had Trisomy 18. Before she ever served families through Mama Bear Care, she was the mom leaving the appointment still pregnant.

Our mentor moms aren't standing on the outside trying to imagine what this feels like. They've been there. They know what it is to hear words they never expected and then go home still carrying the baby they love.

The diagnosis may be the start of a very different pregnancy than she pictured.
She should not have to walk it alone. 💜

🐻 Fierce Love. Tender Care.

09/29/2026