Held Your Whole Life

Held Your Whole Life is an organisation in the USA that make necklaces for people who have lost a baby due to miscarriage or stillbirth. If you're in the US, it's completely free, while those outside the US only have to pay for postage. I put my name on the list in May, and I received my necklace this week. It is absolutely beautiful!

Ariella's necklace: photo by Held Your Whole Life

All of the necklaces they make say "Held Your Whole Life" around the outside, and the name (or date, if that is what you'd like) is hand-stamped by volunteers. I got to choose the butterfly and the little heart - they have a variety of options to choose. About two weeks after I had requested my necklace and chosen the heart, I received this key-ring from a friend...which has a similar heart!

One thing I do want to highlight is that to receive a necklace, your baby must have been lost to miscarriage or stillbirth, not newborn death. And it must be the parents who request the necklace, you cannot request one for a friend (they used to do that, but received complaints, so have had to stop). They open for requests on the first of each month, and my necklace was posted within a month. It came in lovely little origami box and it was such a delight to see the package in my letterbox after I came home from work!

I do already have one Ariella Jade necklace, which some very generous friends bought for me. This necklace will not replace that one; it's a different style and now I won't have to be worried about wearing the other one so much that the writing disappears (as I have a habit of fiddling with the necklace, which has begun to slowly wear out the letters)!

If you know someone who has lost a baby and would appreciate a necklace like this, please share with them about Held Your Whole Life. They do a wonderful thing by providing mementos to bereaved parents; I know I am thankful :)