(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Losing a child happens often but is rarely talked about. One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage. That’s a half a million pregnancies ending during the first 26 weeks of pregnancy. Another 26,000 end in stillbirths. One mother hopes to fill the void with a lot of love and a little bear.
“It was a normal pregnancy up until 34 weeks. I was pushing on my belly, and there was nothing. I didn’t hold her for a long time, and that was my biggest regret,” Bridget Crews told Ivanhoe.
The pain of losing her little girl is something Bridget lives with every day.
“She was 4 pounds, 9 ounces,” Bridget said.
Bridget couldn’t fill the void of losing Molly but was able to fill a need.
“It does give us something to hold on to,” she said.
Molly Bear is 4 pounds, 9 ounces of sand, fabric and fur made out of love.
“Molly Bear represents hope, hope that we can fill arms and take away aching,” Bridget said.
After making Molly Bear for herself, Bridget started cutting, sewing and stuffing for others.
“We’ve done 2,000 bears, 18 countries, and we’re in every state,” Bridget said.
Requests from grieving mothers come every day. Bridget’s garage now looks like a bear factory, and she continues to cut, sew and stuff -- customizing the clothes, size and weight of each bear. Her smallest: just a half an ounce.
Meredith Small lost her little girl 27 days after she was born and holds her bear close to her heart.
“It meant the world, something to show the world that she was here,” Meredith told Ivanhoe.
“We can fill the void of their arms and give them something tangible to hold on to,” Bridget said.
Remembering always the little ones they lost and the love that remains.
Bridget has enlisted dozens of volunteers from across the country. You can request a Molly Bear at www.mollybear.com. It is a nonprofit, but Bridget does accept donations to help cover the cost of making the bears.
