An East Texas mother shares her grieving journey with other women after losing her firstborn baby.

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – An East Texas mother is sharing her grief journey with other women after losing her firstborn baby.

“We were super excited and realized it was a little boy,” said Lexi Sullivan, an East Texas resident.

But life didn’t prepare Sullivan and her husband for what would happen next.

“His heart was failing and they said, ‘You can see it on the monitor, you can see it’s not beating as fast as it used to,'” Sullivan says. “And they said, ‘So you’re going to lose him.'”

The emotional loss of a baby, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss, is tragic, and yet many women face this grief in silence.

“I kind of went numb, you know,” Sullivan says. “They laid him on my chest with my husband and me and said, ‘Hold him while he’s warm, because he won’t be warm for long.'”

According to the National Institutes of Health, about 24,000 babies are stillborn each year, and about 10 to 15% of pregnancies end in miscarriage.

“It’s not only heartbreaking for the families, it’s extremely damaging for the staff,” says Bonnie, Bearden, clinical director of UT Health’s NICU. “Especially for the babies we care for in the NICU because we have built relationships with these families and are experiencing this loss just as much as they are.”

Sullivan’s healing journey began when one of the founders of Louisiana-based Eve’s Victory contacted Sullivan after hearing her story.

“She said, ‘I think you would make a wonderful board member,'” Sullivan says. “She said, ‘We’re planning on dropping off our first care package for Christmas this year,’ and it was the same year we lost Dak, and I agreed.”

The care packages aim to support families in the NICU who have suffered miscarriages and families who have lost their child.

“Being able to bring care packages to families and letting them know that we understand what you are going through and are here for you has been a huge part of my healing journey with Dak,” Sullivan says.

Eve’s Victory has multiple locations in Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and now East Texas. Sullivan was the first to expand his donations to families in Tyler.

“They are very grateful to receive these types of care packages because they know there are other people out there supporting them and they have the opportunity to connect with those people,” Bearden says.

Sullivan continues to share her story with other women in East Texas who are also donating items for care packages sent to hospitals.

“Losing a child is not what a mother or parent should do,” Sullivan says. “You shall not bury your child first.”

Every October, Sullivan lights a candle in memory of her sweet little boy.

Eve’s Victory location in Tyler is currently accepting donations for their care packages that will be dropped off at hospitals this Christmas.

Click here to learn more about ways to donate items for Eve’s Victory care packages.

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