“…I have given suck, and know
How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me….”
- Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 7, Line 54

A leaf falling off the family tree is a common image in the Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) community. In some hospitals, when a woman is experiencing a stillbirth instead of a typical delivery, the nurses put a picture of a leaf on the door so that staff coming in will know what’s happening and will be appropriately sensitive in their interactions with the family. I really like this image; I even have a pendant with a picture of a tree with a falling leaf that I often wear in memory of our son Paul.

After we lost Paul, I discovered how much I appreciated being able to envelop myself in a big, soft, comfy shawl when I felt sad. It really does feel like a hug to me, so I give you A Mother’s Comfort. The motif of the leaf falling from a tree makes this a larger and slightly more complicated than Simple Comfort, but a grieving mom won’t mind waiting longer for this special gift; she’ll miss her child forever.