How a woman is taking her own grief and knitting together other families grieving miscarriages

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Ashley Lieser has crocheted baby blankets for friends before.

“It is a labor of love,” she said. “Creativity is a really good antidote to grief,” Lieser said. 

But these are going to strangers who left the hospital like she did — empty-handed.

“The same hospital doors that everyone is walking out with car seats and new babies. As you are walking out next to that it’s a really painful feeling.”

During an ultrasound in her 14th week, Lieser found out the pregnancy was no longer viable.

“Your whole world comes crashing down,” she said. 

Working to cope with her own grief, she’s also giving back to other women experiencing pregnancy loss, one blanket at a time. They’re distributed by nurses.

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“When I bring a blanket to a patient, I say this is from Ashley; she wants you to know you are surrounded by light and love and that she doesn’t want you to feel so alone,” said Jenny Burgers, who serves as a Perinatal Nurse Navigator. 

Research shows about 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, that is a sudden pregnancy loss before the 20th week.

While many hospitals have bereavement programs, they’re not always comprehensive.

“I’m not able to fix the healthcare system by myself or overnight,” Lieser said. “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.”

Bonding with strangers by sharing homemade blankets lets other women know they’re not alone in losing a pregnancy.