Councilwoman Authors Book to Aid Parents in Grief

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– A Columbia Councilwoman is working to help parents of stillborn babies cope with their loss. As a member of the Columbia City Council, Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine lives life in the public eye, but there’s one thing that some might not know about her. Devine says, “I have three children. I have two children here on earth and one in heaven.” Two weeks before her due date Devine went in for a routine ultra sound, only to learn that her son’s heart had stopped beating. Devine and her husband were devastated. “I isolated myself, I didn’t want to go anywhere, I stayed in the house, I would cry I would wake up in the morning take a shower go back to bed and just stay in bed all day,” Devine tells ABC Columbia. While grieving Devine learned that almost 30,000 babies each year are stillborn and she took comfort in knowing her family was not alone. According to the Councilwoman, “It really awakened us to another thing in this world that we weren’t really aware of and familiar with.” Determined to help other families in grief, Devine and her husband co authored a book about their journey. She says,”So many families suffer in silence, I think people categorize losses during pregnancy as maybe not the same level of another loss but it is the loss of a life, it is the loss of your child, it’s so important.” The three part book, titled Born into Heaven includes tips for other parents dealing with the loss of a child during pregnancy. Devine says the most important of which is the acknowledgement of the child. “We don’t want people to feel like you have to ignore or deny that he existed because he is still part of our family even though he’s not here.” Now, a year later, the Councilwoman says there are still tough days but that she’s determined to see the light in the darkness. “You realize coming out of it that there is a purpose for people’s pain and that sometimes tragic situations great things happen,” says Devine.