Untitled, Stephanie Dyer

 

Untitled.

Stephanie Dyer.

Acrylic.

:::

about the piece.
This piece is a combination of my husband and my hand prints and the small canvas in the center is of Amelia's hand print.  This hangs in our bedroom and I am constantly reminded that we held our baby girl in the palm of our hands for a short while, but in our hearts and memories forever. - Stephanie
about the contributor.
Stephanie Dyer describes her daughter Amelia and her journey:
With much anticipatio​n and delight, I endured the rough first trimester and finally felt that I was in the fun part of pregnancy. We had found a midwife and began planning a home birth.

During my 24th week, our midwife explained that I was measuring larger then I should and she asked us to get an ultrasound to rule out twins. I was so excited about the possibility of twins, but also very aware that other problems could be the result of measuring larger. So, we waited for our ultrasound appt.

During the appt. I told the tech that we didn't want to know the sex of the baby. She did extensive measurement​s and made the appropriate small talk. But I instintivel​y felt something was wrong. As I contacted our midwife after the appt. she informed me that there was indeed something irregular that was found and that a level 2 ultrasound was called for. So, the panic began. The week between ultrasounds was the longest week in my life. We had some ideas of what to expect...al​l terrible possibiliti​es, but until the next ultrasound, all we could do was wait.

A week later, the level 2 ultrasound confirmed that we had a baby girl who had multiple congenital anomalies that were incompatibl​e with life. She was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Cystic Hygroma, and Hydrops Fetalis. We were told right there that we had a 99% chance of her being born still and a 1% chance of her being born alive. I believe that the doctor said that she had a close to 0% chance of surviving at all. They believe she has a disorder called Turner's syndrome. This is a chromosomal disorder where a part of the 46th pair of x chromosomes is missing or damaged.

I have a blog as well as a small business that are inspired by Amelia's life.  The blog is called Carried Through Grief and the other is Beyond Words Designs.

Untitled, Stephanie Dyer.

Untitled.
Stephanie Dyer.
Painting.


:::

about the piece.
This is a continuation of a painting that I submitted a while back.  This is another representation of pregnancy and loss.  She is letting go of the life that she holds within her.   Still holding it gently and wanting to keep it close, yet knowing she has no choice but to let it go. -Stephanie.

about the artist.
Stephanie Dyer describes her loss and her journey, "Amelia Rose Dyer was born gently and peacefully on March 11, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz., was 20 inches long with lots of dark hair and simply beautiful. Jesus got to hold her before we did, but we are forever grateful for our time with her. She was loved from the beginning, through the middle, at the end, and forever more.

"Twenty-four weeks into pregnancy with my fourth child, Amelia Rose, my daughter was diagnosed with multiple congenital anomalies that were not compatible with life. We were told she would most likely NOT make it to the third trimester, let alone term. I spent the next 16 weeks of my pregnancy falling in love with my baby knowing that we would not likely ever see her alive. We were blessed with 16 weeks to plan and prepare for Amelia. We were given the miracle of time. She endured for 40 weeks against all odds.

"Choosing to create has been a driving force for me during the last part of my pregnancy. The genesis of Beyond Words Designs has given me something to hold onto as I awaited Amelia's birth. I truly believe that it will be a lifeline; a way for me to crawl out of the devastation and help others by creating beauty from pain.

"So many bereaved parents suffer from the purposeful deletion of their child's name in conversation. The death we experience is hard enough, but the loss of hearing our child’s name spoken aloud, is a continuous trigger for our grief. I could not bear the thought of this happening to Amelia. So, I painted her name along with words that represent the amazing blessings she has already given us. Amelia's canvas hangs proudly above our fireplace in the most visible part of our home, inviting all who come into our home to feel it is safe to speak her name aloud."

Stephanie creates hand-painted acrylic works for bereaved parents at Beyond Words Designs. She writes about her journey and grief at Carried Through Grief.

Untitled, Stephanie Dyer

Untitled.
Stephanie Dyer.
Acrylic.

:::
about the piece.
This piece is for a mama and papa overseas, who have lost three children. They wanted a family portrait that would show all of them together. The two background couples symbolize two of their children who were born, and then died. The center depiction of this couple is of the child that was stillborn. This couple has had each pregnancy photographed, with the daddy encircling the mama and I wanted to continue that expression of love and support in my painting. I have added a close up of one of the background couples that I believe depicts the grief of a Father, particularly well. -Stephanie

about the artist.
Stephanie Dyer describes her loss and her journey, "Amelia Rose Dyer was born gently and peacefully on March 11, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz., was 20 inches long with lots of dark hair and simply beautiful. Jesus got to hold her before we did, but we are forever grateful for our time with her. She was loved from the beginning, through the middle, at the end, and forever more.

"Twenty-four weeks into pregnancy with my fourth child, Amelia Rose, my daughter was diagnosed with multiple congenital anomalies that were not compatible with life. We were told she would most likely NOT make it to the third trimester, let alone term. I spent the next 16 weeks of my pregnancy falling in love with my baby knowing that we would not likely ever see her alive. We were blessed with 16 weeks to plan and prepare for Amelia. We were given the miracle of time. She endured for 40 weeks against all odds.

"Choosing to create has been a driving force for me during the last part of my pregnancy. The genesis of Beyond Words Designs has given me something to hold onto as I awaited Amelia's birth. I truly believe that it will be a lifeline; a way for me to crawl out of the devastation and help others by creating beauty from pain.

"So many bereaved parents suffer from the purposeful deletion of their child's name in conversation. The death we experience is hard enough, but the loss of hearing our child’s name spoken aloud, is a continuous trigger for our grief. I could not bear the thought of this happening to Amelia. So, I painted her name along with words that represent the amazing blessings she has already given us. Amelia's canvas hangs proudly above our fireplace in the most visible part of our home, inviting all who come into our home to feel it is safe to speak her name aloud."

Stephanie creates hand-painted acrylic works for bereaved parents at Beyond Words Designs. She writes about her journey and grief at Carried Through Grief.

Faith, Stephanie Dyer

Faith.
Stephanie Dyer.
Acrylic.

:::

about the piece.
In Stephanie's words, "This piece is entitled Faith.  It has been a passion of mine to celebrate pregnancy and birth.  Instead of buying a shower gift for friends, I painted.  I wanted to always remember that Amelia's pregnancy was beautiful and full of faith.  For 16 weeks we lived with the uncertainty of each day possibly being the day she would die.  She made it to my due date and died the next day.  Throughout the journey, I had faith that I would see my sweet girl alive, before her spirit flew to heaven.  This was not to be.  But the image speaks to what I felt the entire second half of my pregnancy."
about the artist.
Stephanie Dyer describes her loss and her journey, "Amelia Rose Dyer was born gently and peacefully on March 11, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz., was 20 inches long with lots of dark hair and simply beautiful. Jesus got to hold her before we did, but we are forever grateful for our time with her. She was loved from the beginning, through the middle, at the end, and forever more.

"Twenty-four weeks into pregnancy with my fourth child, Amelia Rose, my daughter was diagnosed with multiple congenital anomalies that were not compatible with life. We were told she would most likely NOT make it to the third trimester, let alone term. I spent the next 16 weeks of my pregnancy falling in love with my baby knowing that we would not likely ever see her alive. We were blessed with 16 weeks to plan and prepare for Amelia. We were given the miracle of time. She endured for 40 weeks against all odds.

"Choosing to create has been a driving force for me during the last part of my pregnancy. The genesis of Beyond Words Designs has given me something to hold onto as I awaited Amelia's birth. I truly believe that it will be a lifeline; a way for me to crawl out of the devastation and help others by creating beauty from pain.

"So many bereaved parents suffer from the purposeful deletion of their child's name in conversation. The death we experience is hard enough, but the loss of hearing our child’s name spoken aloud, is a continuous trigger for our grief. I could not bear the thought of this happening to Amelia. So, I painted her name along with words that represent the amazing blessings she has already given us. Amelia's canvas hangs proudly above our fireplace in the most visible part of our home, inviting all who come into our home to feel it is safe to speak her name aloud."

Stephanie creates hand-painted acrylic works for bereaved parents at Beyond Words Designs. She writes about her journey and grief at Carried Through Grief.

Amelia, Stephanie Dyer

Amelia.
Stephanie Dyer.
Acrylic.

:::

about the piece.
In Stephanie's words, "This painting was inspired by Amelia.  Knowing in advance we would lose her, I wanted to make sure that I created as many tangible reminders of her as I could.  The other reason, was simply that I wanted a vehicle for others who came into our home to bring up her name.  I wanted family and friends to realize that it was 'safe' to speak her name alound and never forget her."

about the artist.
Stephanie Dyer describes her loss and her journey, "Amelia Rose Dyer was born gently and peacefully on March 11, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz., was 20 inches long with lots of dark hair and simply beautiful. Jesus got to hold her before we did, but we are forever grateful for our time with her. She was loved from the beginning, through the middle, at the end, and forever more.

"Twenty-four weeks into pregnancy with my fourth child, Amelia Rose, my daughter was diagnosed with multiple congenital anomalies that were not compatible with life. We were told she would most likely NOT make it to the third trimester, let alone term. I spent the next 16 weeks of my pregnancy falling in love with my baby knowing that we would not likely ever see her alive. We were blessed with 16 weeks to plan and prepare for Amelia. We were given the miracle of time. She endured for 40 weeks against all odds.

"Choosing to create has been a driving force for me during the last part of my pregnancy. The genesis of Beyond Words Designs has given me something to hold onto as I awaited Amelia's birth. I truly believe that it will be a lifeline; a way for me to crawl out of the devastation and help others by creating beauty from pain.

"So many bereaved parents suffer from the purposeful deletion of their child's name in conversation. The death we experience is hard enough, but the loss of hearing our child’s name spoken aloud, is a continuous trigger for our grief. I could not bear the thought of this happening to Amelia. So, I painted her name along with words that represent the amazing blessings she has already given us. Amelia's canvas hangs proudly above our fireplace in the most visible part of our home, inviting all who come into our home to feel it is safe to speak her name aloud."

Stephanie creates hand-painted acrylic works for bereaved parents at Beyond Words Designs. She writes about her journey and grief at Carried Through Grief.