Lafayette nurses create support group for infant loss and miscarriage

Two IU Health Arnett nurses are using personal tragedy to help others.

Samantha thieke spoke with the women about their new support group.

She joins us now with how it's helping women suffering from miscarriage and infant loss.

Sam?

Meredith, the thought of losing a child is every parent's worst nightmare.

Now, two women who've gone through the traumatic experience are encouraging others to come forward and share their stories.

Jen hittle "when you lose a child, it's just something that you can't explain.

Unimaginable grief."

It's a feeling jen hittle knows all too well.

She lost her six month old son brenton to sudden infant death syndrome in 2013.

Sarah norkus knows it too.

Norkus "you feel in that moment that you won't.

That you will never smile again, you will never laugh again, and it's awful."

Norkus lost twin boys evan and elliot in 2018.

They were born at 20 weeks and lived for just an hour.

Sarah norkus "you just never really get past that initial grief and you don't really know when it's going to hit, but then, eventually, you do.

You do move past it."

Moving past the pain of losing an infant inspired the two iu health arnett nurses.

Hittle "we've been through these scenarios, these situations.

We know how hard it is and how important it is to have that support."

After realizing the need, they created the open arms miscarriage and infant loss support group.

Sarah norkus "our goal with this is to make you know that you're not crazy for feeling the way you feel, and to know that people have been through it and that you can survive it."

Hittle says just sharing and listening can help mothers, fathers or anyone dealing with a miscarriage or loss of an infant.

Hittle "it bridges that gap to where they see that hope and they know, 'i can get through this.

Other people have'."

Open arms miscarriage and infant loss is held from 6 to 8 p-m on the first wednesday of each month.

It's next meeting is october 7th in the physician's lounge of the iu health arnett medical offices.

That address is at 2600 greenbush street in lafayette.

Samantha thieke,