Dear Members,

A lactation consultant colleague and highly renown and respected researcher, Cynthia Good Mojab, MS clinical psychology, IBCLC, RLC, CATSM, is conducting an important and pertinent study which she has asked me to convey to you in the hope that some of you who have experienced heartbreaking losses may help others through your stories. This is the description of Cynthia's study in her own words:

"Very little information is available in the literature about the lactation and breastfeeding experiences of bereaved mothers after a pregnancy loss or infant death. During pregnancy, hormones stimulate breast growth and the initiation of milk production (lactation). After 16 weeks of pregnancy, lactation will occur even if the baby dies during pregnancy or during or after labor and birth. Sometimes mothers breastfeed through pregnancy. And, sometimes mothers are caring for the living twin or higher order multiple of a baby who died. Therefore, many mothers must make decisions about how to manage lactation and/ or breastfeeding after a pregnancy loss or infant death.

In order to improve the information and support available to grieving mothers, more must be known. I am looking for mothers who are willing to share their experience and wisdom with me. If you have lost a baby during pregnancy or during or after labor and birth and you would like to share your experiences with me, please complete the questionnaire that is available from the Research page of my website www.lifecirclecc.com.

Please feel free to forward the information to any mother, list, or group that might be interested in it. I'm grateful for any help to get the word out about this project. And, yes, I need and welcome the experiences of mothers who chose to suppress lactation, too. Their experiences, just like the experiences of mothers who pumped and donated milk to a human milk bank or who continued breastfeeding an older nursling are part of the full spectrum of the management of lactation and breastfeeding after a pregnancy loss or infant death.

If you know of a woman who might be interested in sharing her experience with me, please feel free to let her know about this research project. If you would like to know more about my work before you decide whether to contribute your story, please visit my website."

Sincerely,
Cynthia

I have shared my story with Cynthia and I encourage any mother who has suffered a loss to do the same. It really does help to process the emotions of the experience through the answers to her questions. And as many of us know, we have very few opportunities to discuss our losses, let alone have something good come out of them. Cynthia's study will be conducted through the middle of July. You can choose to have your contact information remain confidential when you fill out the questionnaire.

Best,