My Story

Kristina's Story

The sight of a hot air balloon always reminds me of my daughter, Anastasia. In the autumn of 2018, our family spent a beautiful morning together at a local balloon festival, completely unaware that it would be our last day carrying her. Later that evening, at 34 weeks gestation, I realized she had stopped moving. At the hospital, my fears were confirmed: they could not find a heartbeat.

I delivered my beautiful little girl the following evening. She was one ounce shy of five pounds, with curly brown hair—she was perfect.

We later learned that her umbilical cord had a double true knot combined with only a two-vessel cord (a normal cord has three vessels: one vein and two arteries), an exceptionally rare occurrence. Walking out of the hospital without her changed me forever. It is in Anna's honor that I began my journey to become a bereavement doula, dedicated to walking alongside other families in their darkest hours.