Monica Novak

Monica Novak became a bereaved mother in 1995 with the stillbirth of her daughter Miranda, learning firsthand the devastation of saying goodbye to a much-loved, much-wanted baby before having the chance to say hello. Three weeks later, she began a journey towards healing when she attended her first Share support group meeting. Along the way, she and six other bereaved mothers formed a close bond that carried them through the grief of miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death, as well as the challenges of subsequent pregnancy and infertility. Having been at the opposite ends of grief and joy; despair and hope; indifference and compassion; fear and peace-sometimes simultaneously-she has captured these emotions and the story of her journey in a highly-praised new memoir titled The Good Grief Club. Monica writes and speaks on the subject of pregnancy loss and infant death and is involved with local and national organizations that provide support to families and caregivers. She is a member of the Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Alliance (PLIDA). Her mission is to bring comfort and hope to bereaved parents worldwide and to educate and promote awareness to the physicians, nurses, clergy, counselors, family, and friends of every mother or father who has or ever will be told that their baby has no heartbeat or that nothing more can be done. The mother of three daughters, Monica lives in the Chicago area with her husband, children, and a rat terrier named Sami. For more information, please visit www.thegoodgriefclub.com or e-mail Monica at monica@thegoodgriefclub.com Monica appeared on the radio show “Healing the Grieving Heart” discussing ”Miscarriage and Infant Loss.” To hear Monica being interviewed on this show by Dr. Gloria & Dr. Heidi Horsley, go to the following link: https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/34073/miscarriage-and-infant-loss

Articles:

Follow Your Heart When You Have a Chance to Comfort Bereaved

Follow Your Heart with the Bereaved My friend Wendy recently told me this story.  On her way out of church that morning, she saw an older woman sitting in the […]

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Remembering Your Baby on All Souls Day

By Monica Novak – In the Christian traditions, churches all over the world set aside a day of celebrating and remembering our loved ones who have died.  Depending on the […]

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First Halloween

By Beth Seyda – I usually love Halloween, seeing all the little kids in their cute costumes struggling to hold up their trick or treat bags and trying to say […]

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Floating Downstream: What Loss Has Taught Me

During summer breaks, my 12-week reprieve from the regimented early-morning school schedule, my three girls and I love to sleep in and lounge around in our pajamas all morning (okay, […]

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News of Fathering Dead Infant Stirs Up Grief Thirty Years Later

By Monica Novak – A reader (I’ll call her Lori) wrote in one day  to say that her husband had been contacted by a woman he had dated nearly 30 […]

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October: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

In 1988, when President Ronald Reagan declared October to be Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, I was still in college, not yet married, and motherhood was a distant point […]

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Keeping and Sharing Memories of Our Babies

When my friend Dawn was pregnant with triplets, due the following June, her husband Andy wanted to surprise her with a special piece of jewelry for Christmas.  He had no […]

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Trying Something New Brings Joy and Life to the Bereaved

By Barbara A. Glanz – The following is an excerpt from Barbara’s book What Can I Do?  Ideas to Help Those Who Have Experienced Loss: One of the ways we […]

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The First Support Group Meeting

By Monica Novak – When our daughter Miranda was stillborn 14 years ago, despite the love and support from family and friends, my husband Al and I often felt a […]

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Back to School Time Can Be Difficult

By Monica Novak – It was July and summer was still in full-swing when the seasonal patio furniture began to quietly disappear from local stores.  I knew what was coming, […]

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