One of my friends recently experienced a miscarriage, and I was so heartbroken for her. I felt helpless standing idly by while she went through what was one of the most trying times of her life. I knew there was nothing I could do or say to take the pain away, but wanted to show my support in some tangible way. She isn’t local to me, so I wanted to make sure everything it contained traveled well. This is what I came up with:
1. Magazines – I included 3 magazines in the care package – US Weekly, People, and Cosmopolitan – just some mindless guilty pleasure mags to take her mind off things and doesn’t require too much brainpower.
2. Something sweet – I chose Haribo gummi bears and Swedish Fish because they are yummy and travel well.
3. Something salty – She is a chips addict, and loves Flamin’ Hot Cheetos so I packed some up for her (plus I heard these chips are not as common in the east coast as it is in the west coast – is that true?!).
4. Something healthy – I went with KIND bars because they’re delicious, healthy, and have minimal ingredients. It was also my way of telling her to be kind to herself.
5. Chocolate – Chocolate deserves its own category! It was in the heat of summer though, so I wanted something that wouldn’t melt in transit. These mini Kit Kats fit the bill.
6. A 6-pack of travel Kleenex – When you have tears, you need tissue.
7. Korean Face Masks – These are lightweight, and don’t take up a lot of space, so they’re great for long distance transit. I wanted to give her something that would make her feel pampered, especially since she was crying a lot. I chose Snail, Green Tea, Collagen, and Coenzyme Q10.
8. Tea – I gave her a box of Yogi Calming tea. Something herbal and decaffeinated to help her relax after her long days.
9. A Journal – Writing can be so therapeutic in times of deep pain.
. . . . .
Some other things I considered, but ended up nixing was a book on loss and healing (because she’s not a reader), a trinket from Etsy (because I didn’t want to give her such a permanent, physical reminder of her loss), and a candle (because I didn’t want anything too heavy or that could break in transit).
For this particular friend, these would not have been the best options, but I just wanted to throw those ideas out for others who might want to put together a care package. I also elicited a ton of great ideas from our board members in this thread. They threw out wonderful suggestions such as chocolate/fruit baskets, flowers, ice cream packed in dry ice, lotions, creams, bath products, and coffee.
What would you put in a care package for a friend who went through a miscarriage?
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
This is very nice.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
That’s really sweet of you that you did this for her! I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.
As for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, I don’t think I’ve seen those around here in New England, but now I’m going to be looking for them!
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
Very nice.
@Adira: WHAT? haha
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
@autumnlove: haha, I’ll look when I go grocery shopping this weekend! Maybe we have them and I just never noticed!!
guest
My friend who is also not local experienced a loss at 21 weeks. A mutual friend had the great idea that a few of us should send her a care package each week for the month or so afterwards. We included similar items — snacks, magazines, pampering items. We also added some small toys to keep her older daughter entertained. Things like coloring books, bubbles and sidewalk chalk. She said it meant a lot to have so many people thinking about their family and helping to lift their spirits. Another idea we had was gift certificates for local take out restaurants, but we ended up skipping that since some of her local friends were organizing a meal train.
nectarine / 2600 posts
Aw, this is so sweet, it brought tears to my eyes!
You’re such a good friend. Not to sound sour-grapes-ish (I’m totally not) but something like this would have definitely been nice after my losses. Getting mail is always fun, and it’s nice to know someone is thinking of you. Plus it lets the friend (you) show how much you care without being all up in their business before they might be ready to share/talk about it.
pomegranate / 3225 posts
You are so thoughtful! I’m Going to remember this. A friend just went through the same and I really did not know what to do.
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
This is very thoughtful.
After my loss last year, some online friends sent me a bunch of cupcakes and cookies, along with a visa gift card. I used the gift card to get my hair cut and styled. I was so touched. Another friend sent me a gift card to a new restaurant in town that I had been wanting to try. We had a nice date night with it.
blogger / pomegranate / 3491 posts
This is so so sweet! Your friend is very lucky to have you
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
@Leialou: @autumnlove: @kml636: @Mrs. Confetti: Thank you
@Adira: @autumnlove: Yea, I’m pretty sure they don’t have them! Missing out big time!
@ALISONVG: That is so very thoughtful of you and your friends – I’m sure she felt showered with love, and was so grateful to you all. I love the idea of gifting things for the older child. My friend doesn’t have kids yet, but that’s something I’ll keep in mind if other friends experience a loss.
@TheSwissWifeStyle: That’s a good point about not being “up in your business”. I’m always uncertain about how to walk that fine line between giving someone space and being there for them.
@mrs. tictactoe: What sweet friends you have! Gifting a date night is such a great idea.
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
This is very sweet. I wish I had thought of this when my best friend lost a baby. I meant to do something I recall but life got the best of me and I forgot. What a sweet friend you are
honeydew / 7444 posts
That was really sweet of you to do! The facial packs are an awesome addition to the package.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
I’m glad the suggestions helped! I agree chocolate deserves it’s own category.
GOLD / nectarine / 2884 posts
A friends of mine had a miscarriage and I did something similar. Mostly teas and stuff like that. I also sent her a bunch of flower seeds, and picked the flowers based on their meanings– love, grace, rememberance, etc. It definitely felt good to reach out in some small way! I think this is really a sweet idea.
guest
That’s very thoughtful of you and all your readers… my girlfriend enjoyed an afternoon of pampering at the nail salon together where we just chatted and she felt she could get her mind off her loss for just a little while. Very casual, relaxed afternoon.