ST. LOUIS - Pregnancy and the time thereafter should be a joyous occasion. Although, for some families, that’s not the case. A group of moms, who all experienced the loss of a baby and received support through Mercy HeartPrints, joined together to raise money for a memorial monument at Mercy Hospital St. Louis to honor the memory of babies gone too soon.
The HeartPrints Pregnancy and Infant Loss Monument will serve as a memorial for all the families who go through the unimaginable loss of a baby.
The Mercy HeartPrints program offers support for families who experience tremendous grief when they need it most – after a loss by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, still birth or neonatal death. In addition to support while in the hospital, Mercy HeartPrints also hosts monthly support group meetings. Moms from the support group hosted a trivia night to raise funds for the memorial monument as a place families can visit and honor their babies’ memories.
“The generosity of this group of women has been amazing,” said Jen Hibdon, Mercy HeartPrints coordinator. “They’ve been through so much and still want to give back to help others. We hope this will be a safe, peaceful place for families to come honor their babies."
Abraham Mohler, a St. Louis artist and creator of the monument, named it “The Fluttering.” The sculpture is a heart-shaped butterfly wind turbine where dozens of butterflies give an appearance of fluttering their wings and flying as the carousel spins. Mohler said he chose the name because that’s how he’s heard some mothers describe the earliest sensation of their babies’ movements.
