“Every time you feel frustrated and want to run away, please remember my story.”

Warning: This post deals with stillbirth and loss and the images within this story may be distressing for some readers. 

A mother’s plea: remember my story.

A mother’s heartache: “I’m sorry… there’s nothing there.”

A mother urging other parents right around the world: “When you’re at your wits’ end and feel like you can’t go on anymore when you’re only getting an hour or two of sleep a night… find the tiniest bit of strength within you to keep going, and say a prayer of gratitude for your child.”

Because this mother lost her daughter and what she wants us to learn from it is to cherish the ones we have — and remember those who have had losses.

Natalie Morgan and Eleanor. (Facebook)

Natalie Morgan, a mother from Florida in the US gave birth to her daughter, Eleanor, on the 11th of September. Her daughter had stopped moving the day before and she had rushed to hospital where she was faced with the devastating news that the doctors could not find a heartbeat.

Natalie detailed the heartbreak of losing her daughter in a series of Facebook posts that have now gone viral – being shared more than 300,000 times.

Natalie’s message to other parents was breathtaking in its raw, tender simplicity — cherish your babies.

“There will be times your child will scream and cry any time you try to put him or her down,” she wrote.

“Or they’ll cry even as they’re in your arms and you’ve done everything you can possibly think of to get them to stop. There will be sleepless nights, multiple diaper changes in a matter of minutes, spit up in your hair, pee on your shirt, and poop in your hands, and again – so much screaming from the baby, and probably from you as well. Every time that happens, every time you feel frustrated and want to run away, please remember my story.”

“All I ask of you is when you have your dark moments with your baby – when you’re at your wits’ end and feel like you can’t go on anymore when you’re only getting an hour or two of sleep a night – instead of begging your child to go to sleep and being swallowed up in your frustration and exhaustion, find the tiniest bit of strength within you to keep going, and say a prayer of gratitude for your child, as difficult as it may be in that moment.”

Natalie, already the mother to a young son, described the emptiness and helplessness she felt after her daughter’s birth.

“And I would give anything in this world to have a baby spitting up on me, being colicky for all hours of the day and night, screaming, not letting me put her down, cracking my nipples from breastfeeding, keeping me up all night. Instead, I have a stitched nether region, painfully engorged breasts no baby will suckle from, a flabby stomach, an empty womb, and blood that will continue to pour out of me for who knows how many more weeks. As if her death and birth wasn’t traumatic enough, I still have to live with the physical effects all these many days later.”

Natalie at 39 weeks ( Facebook)

The Florida mum was just over 40 weeks into a healthy pregnancy when her world turned as she lost her daughter.

She writes: “Finally, Brian was there, they did the ultrasound, and there was silence as they all exchanged nervous glances. Finally one of them matter-of-factly said, “Hi Natalie, I’m Doctor ______ (I don’t remember her name, but you don’t want to know what I call her in my head). I’m sorry… there’s nothing there.” I keep having flashbacks to that moment. It’s a crippling, all-consuming feeling of utter suffocation, and a memory that will haunt me for the rest of my life. In that moment, I felt trapped as if the ceiling was literally crashing down on top of me. I couldn’t breathe, I lashed out, I screamed, I threw things, I threw up… and then a piece of me died with her. I was helpless to change anything. My body was supposed to keep her safe, and instead it killed her. ”

Three weeks later she is till coming to terms with her loss.

As Natalie and her husband, Brian mourn the loss of their daughter they are now facing another battle. A battle to keep the photos of their baby girl on their Facebook pages. The couple facing numerous bans as they continue to be reported for “violations” of Facebook’s policies.

Natalie wrote on her page: “The photos we have with her on the day of her birth (and consequently the day of her death) are all we have. “

She says, “They are not gruesome, they are not offensive, they are not graphic, nor are they violent. They are real life, in all its beauty and agony. If you feel the need to report the photos, save yourself the trouble, and instead hit the ‘unfriend’ button by my name. I’m far too busy missing my only daughter to worry about missing someone who can’t see the devastating beauty in the photos below.”

Natalie and her husband Brian ( Facebook)

Her powerful words have rippled through social media with other women and men sharing their stories of loss and others simply thanking her for reminding them of what’s important.

One writing:

“Thank you for reminding me that while things will be hard and seem overwhelming at times I have an abundance of things to be thankful for.”

Here is her post in full:

You can support Natalie via this GoFundMe page.