Plymouth woman turns pain of pregnancy loss into purpose by making blankets for others
PLYMOUTH, Minn. — It's estimated that 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage. It can be one of the most heartbreaking and challenging times, often leaving women feeling alone. A Plymouth woman is turning her pain into purpose, through a project she crafted up as she was grieving.
"They are the perfect size just to be comfy cozy, really soft, very fluffy," Ashley Lieser said as she held up a baby blanket.
She has been crocheting since she was a child, and has made plenty of blankets for her expecting friends.
"It is a labor of love," she said.
But the blankets that she's making now are going to strangers who left the hospital like she did: empty-handed.
"The same hospital doors that everyone is walking out with their car seats and new babies. As you are walking out next to that it's a really painful feeling," Lieser recalled.
During a 14 week ultrasound on Valentine's Day, Ashley found out her baby girl passed away.
"Your whole world comes crashing down," she said. "I know I have a pamphlet with three options on a chart but really the only option is going home and waiting."
A few days later, she began losing blood and it almost took her life, too.
"I thought for a moment as I was on the stretcher going out that I was going to be taking my last breath and so I just called out, I said, 'I love you, Landon,' because I wanted those to be my last words," she said.
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Landon is her 2-year-old son. She was taken to Maple Grove Hospital where she received care and was involved in the hospital's bereavement program. The hospital's program began in 2013 and offers families memory-making opportunities and support groups.
Now, Lieser is taking her crocheting craft and donating blankets to the hospital to be given to other women experiencing pregnancy loss.
"When I bring a blanket to a patient, I say, 'This is from Ashley, she wants you to know you are surrounded in light and love and that she doesn't want you to feel so alone,'" Perinatal Nurse Navigator Jenny Burgers said.
Burgers hopes Lieser's story raises awareness about the challenges of miscarriage and the need for more support and standards of care for women experiencing pregnancy loss in the United States.
"I think there is a lot of work to do when it comes to how we take care of these families," she said.
"I'm not able to fix the health care system overnight or by myself. But we can at least provide comfort and warmth for women who experience this today while we figure out ways to make it better for the future," Lieser said.
Lieser has raised enough money to provide a blanket to everyone experiencing pregnancy loss at Maple Grove Hospital for one year, but she is searching for volunteers to help crochet the blankets.
Learn more about her project here.
