Losing a child is one of the most painful things a person can go through. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the loneliest. Too often, parents suffer losses and don’t have the opportunity to talk about it because it’s too painful or uncomfortable for the people around them. But after one precious baby boy was stillborn, his mom made the difficult decision to speak out about her unimaginable grief and share photos of his birth. Now, she’s fending off haters and trolls who are trying to shame her for being open about her loss. She also explained that her son died from a condition called gastroschisis, a rare birth defect that causes the intestines and sometimes other organs, such as the liver, to develop outside of an infant’s body. While babies diagnosed with the condition can receive treatment after birth, the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin notes that around 10 percent of all babies with the condition are stillborn. But along with the outpouring of support from followers and friends came something that was much less welcome: A lot of grieving parents don’t share their stories and their experiences because it’s too difficult, or because they don’t want to offend or worry other people, or because they’re afraid of being shamed and blamed like this mom was. But posting stories and photos about the baby they’ve lost can be an important way for parents to honor their child’s life. It’s not uncommon for parents these days to hire photographers to capture their stillborn or dying babies — or to share those images online. In 2017, parents Royce and Keri Young even went viral after they shared photos of their final moments with their daughter, who was born with a fatal condition called anencephaly, before she passed away shortly after delivery.
