WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Waukesha therapist is offering a free support group for parents who have experienced stillbirth or the death of a newborn, after seeing a rise in calls from area hospitals and grieving families. Isabelle and Charlie Bieser are among those parents.
"I had an entirely normal healthy pregnancy, all indicators were excellent,” said Isabelle.
In October, Isabelle woke up one morning and was not feeling her baby move like she normally did.
"By the time I got to the hospital, I was eight months pregnant, and his heart had stopped. And so the nurse very compassionately, very kindly guided us through that. So I knew going into labor that he was not alive,” said Isabelle.
The couple named their son Twinkle Gabriel.
"Twinkle was his code name in-utero,” Charlie said. “An angel name for an angel baby.”
The couple said the reality of losing a child and living with that loss are very different things.
"After we left the hospital without our son, we tried our best to do what we could to honor him. We planned the funeral, we planned the mass, we tried to do everything we could. At that point it was helpful distraction from the reality that we didn't have our son," Charlie said.
Therapist Sue Merkel started a free group through the nonprofit Mom's Mental Health Initiative for parents like Isabelle and Charlie after noticing an increase in calls from grieving families.
"I started this group because I started having an influx of clients in my room that their babies were either stillborn or died shortly after birth within a couple of days, a month," Merkel said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of stillbirth in the United States is lower than it was 30 years ago, but the rate remains steady: 1 in every 175 births ends in the death of the baby. The CDC also reports that Black women have the highest rate of stillbirth, in part because of structural disparities in maternal health care.
Merkel said she receives calls from grieving parents in the Waukesha area on a regular basis.
"I would say weekly I get a phone call, whether it is from a parent who just lost a baby or an OB that I have made a relationship with in the community," Merkel said.
Those calls tend to increase around Mother's Day.
For Isabelle and Charlie, the group has provided a sense of community with others who understand their experience.
"It is nice being in a group because they get it," Isabelle said.
"It can be helpful to let other people know how you are feeling and it is a great way to honor the child that you lost," Charlie said.
If you want more information on the free support group you can contact Grey Street Wellness and Sue Merkel at greystreetwellness@gmail.com or by clicking here.. The group is also currently collecting newborn items and personal care items for women who have recently given birth at 403 N. Grand Ave., Suite 101, Waukesha.
Isabelle is also running the Milwaukee Marathon this year in honor of her son and raising money for the non-profits that help families struggling with loss. If you want to donate, you can find the link here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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