Amy Daly

Amy Daly, MSW, LCSW, CT is the married mother of three children. After experiencing the death of her second child, a newborn daughter, Alexandria, in January of '98, she knew her purpose was to help other bereaved parents. She has a BA in Psychology, 1993, from Indiana University and and Master's in Social Work from Indiana University, 2006

. She earned her Certification in Thanatology through ADEC in 2008. Daly works part-time at St. Vincent Carmel Hospital in Carmel, Indiana, as a medical social worker, where she facilitates a perinatal bereavement support group. She also works at St. Vincent Hospice in Indianapolis where she facilitates support groups for widows and widowers, as well as facilitating general grief support groups that are not loss-specific.

Articles:

Open to  hope

Back to School Blues for Mom Who Lost Child

It’s that time of year again. We are standing in the middle of the school supply section of Target, along with several other families. My two teenagers efficiently place items in the cart, crossing them off their respective lists. They display a great deal of self-sufficiency this year, which makes this task way more simple than it was in 2001 when my oldest, Bryce, was entering kindergarten. As I stand amidst the brightly colored folders and neatly packaged pencils, my mind wanders. The back to school transition triggers my grief each year, without fail. I think about the daughter who […]

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Open to  hope

Grieving for the Sister She Never Knew

Savannah, our third child, was welcomed into this world in May of ’99.  I like to think she was specially chosen for our family by her older sister, Alexandria.  Alexandria was too ill to stay with us.   She died early in ’98, seven days after her birth, from a chromosome abnormality.  She spent her brief life in the neonatal intensive care unit.   Savannah was the daughter who got to stay with our family on Earth; our precious rainbow baby following the storms of loss and the sunshine of grace. Bryce (our firstborn) and Savannah have grown up knowing they have […]

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Open to  hope

Angel Tree Makes for Roses in December

“God gave us memories so we would have roses in December.” ~James M. Barrie By late 1998, I was preparing for my first holiday season without my precious daughter, Alexandria, who had died January 29, 1998 as a newborn. I had a 33-month-old son, Bryce.  It had been almost a year since my daughter died and I was halfway into the subsequent pregnancy with my third child, another girl.  Surely I was through the worst of the grief and my mind and heart would observe the expectation I had set for myself that I was beyond the heartache. I could […]

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Open to  hope

Remembering Alexandria: A Personal Story of Perinatal Loss

Some people only dream of angels, we held one in our arms. On January 22, 1998, our family welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Alexandria Nicole Daly, into the world. As with all births, this changed our lives irrevocably.  Unlike most other births, we had to say good-bye as our daughter’s earthly life was only beginning. She died in my arms just shy of a week after her birth. This, too, profoundly changed our lives.  Returning home from the hospital with empty arms and heavy hearts, our new normal began.  I was not prepared for the intense grief I would face […]

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