Work conference after miscarriage

Last weekend I went to the Blissdom blogging conference, and traveled down to Nashville on hopes and prayers and crossed fingers. Because as far as I’m concerned, that’s the only way that little plane was able to stay up in the air.

In fact, I think my son has a toy plane about that big.

I was all ready and packed to go on Wednesday night, only to not sleep most of the night due to a sweet little child in the next room who for the life of her can’t figure out how to pull a blanket up over herself. So I laid in bed and listened to the freezing rain.

Yes, freezing rain.

So awesome when you haven’t flown in 15 years.

After my mom picked me up, we braved the icy roads to reach the airport in perfect timing – at 5am. (Have I told you before that my mom is fabulous?)

And then I proceeded to wait. You know, wait to meet my Maker.

I really should have gone to the bathroom at that point, because I about peed my pants once I saw the plane.

That small and tiny plane.

The plane that had to sit on the runway for 45 minutes while it was being de-iced.

And then the pilot said we’d have to fly around for a while before we landed. Cause they overfilled the fuel tank, and we’d be to heavy to land.

Seriously not feeling comfortable about the whole “in a plane small enough where this matters”.

Somehow (I’m pretty sure it was only because of my mental power telling the plane to go airborne) we ended up in the sky. The plane sounding as if it was falling apart as we went approximately 487,903 miles per hour down the runway.

It must be American made.

A quick layover in Chicago (shortened by that whole “de-icing the wings so we don’t die” thing) and I’m headed to Nashville on another small jet. This time they make a guy in front go sit in the back during take off to balance the weight better. (And no, he was not even close to 1500 pounds) So that was, again, really comforting. Luckily I was distracted by the guy next to me wearing a bad suit.

But can I tell you how awesome Blissdom was?!

I would seriously defy death in an airplane to go again.

There was wine. And parties with music and dancing (totally out of my element!) And coffee.

There was the Lorax. And the beautiful Opryland Hotel. And awesome roommates that didn’t bat an eye when you checked twitter. Because they were doing the same thing. (Jodi, Stacey, and Shannon)

Though this year I also went with some trepidation.

You see, when there are lots of women around, there are also bound to be lots of babies and lots of pregnant bellies. Many of my blog friends are due right when my little baby would have made an appearance. And some days it hurts my heart a bit more than others. Not because of them, but because my heart will always miss my baby.

But God is so good.

I met the most fantastic women there, so very randomly, yet my every step was directed to them.

Franchesca from Small Bird Studios

Fran sat at one of the tables I was a community leader at, and once we got talking she mentioned that her first born (a daughter named Jenna) passed away just 13 days after being born 11 weeks early. She is also an amazing artist and designer, and we talked about her etsy shop, though she failed to mention that she is also part of the duo that put together the Lost for Words cards and calendar. These beautiful cards are meant for those who have been through the loss of a baby – a need not filled by most card manufacturers! I found these cards last summer and they are so very touching. If you know someone whose baby has passed away, please check out these cards.

Stephanie from Beyond Words Designs

Stephanie was Fran’s roommate and happened to introduce us. She told me all about the loss of her daughter Amelia, just a year or so after the loss of her tiny baby Alice. Amelia had Turners syndrome, diagnosed in the second trimester and Stephanie continued to carry her sweet little baby until birth, when Amelia passed away.

She paints the most moving and beautiful images that celebrate pregnancy, motherhood and life (no matter how brief). The necklace below is one made from her painting called “Gone to Soon”, and I’m blessed to now be the proud owner of such a beautiful piece. We were even “randomly” on the same flight back to Chicago and got to talk over breakfast.

Krista from Hope in the Waiting

Another “random” new friend overheard me telling someone else about my blog. She dealt with infertility. She’s had to say goodbye to her firstborn daughter, Zoe Renae, and her son Jonathan Andrew. Krista is also into eating a healthy whole foods diet and into natural living. As we talked, and talked (forgetting the sessions were starting) I began to feel like I was talking to myself. I love when you connect with someone in that way!

Adrienne from Another Ordinary Miracle

I got to meet Adrienne as we listened to some rockin’ (and some not so rockin’) karaoke. I can’t wait to get to know her better and hear all about story. She’s a mother to 7 babies lost through miscarriage, a premie, and three through adoption. What a dear and precious woman she is

There are more wonderful people of course – I came home with a stack of new business cards along with a bunch of “swag”.

And I survived the flights home! Though my bag didn’t make it for another 9 hours or so. And real life has begun once again as I’m responsible for cleaning, and cooking, and laundry again. It was nice while it lasted, but I’m so glad to be home.

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Donielle Baker

owner and editor of Natural Fertility and Wellness at Natural Fertility and Wellness

I believe women can learn how to heal their bodies & balance their hormones through natural methods. An advocate for natural health, I have a passion for nourishing/real food nutrition and natural living. My personal background includes both infertility and miscarriage and I started Natural Fertility and Wellness in 2008 in order to share all of the information I found helpful in my journey to heal from PCOS and overcome infertility.

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