{"id":326113,"date":"2025-02-09T13:30:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T19:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=326113"},"modified":"2025-02-09T09:59:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T15:59:33","slug":"devastating-stillbirth-couple-ministry-child-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/devastating-stillbirth-couple-ministry-child-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Devastating stillbirth spurs couple to care for others experiencing child loss"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Chris and Melissa Near lost so much when their daughter was stillborn at 35 weeks gestation, but channeled their grief and pain to minister to other couples impacted by pregnancy and infant loss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Near\u2019s second pregnancy was normal throughout. In fact, her baby, whom the couple named \u201cCallie Jo,\u201d was very active in the womb \u2014 unlike her older child, Alex, who was a bit more subdued.<\/span><\/p>\n

She told Live Action News, \u201cShe was such an energetic baby and would respond to voices asking her to kick. My oldest child loved coming up to my belly and talking to her. We felt such a connection to her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At the 35-week mark, Near felt something was different, yet didn\u2019t know what. It was as if the baby had dropped. When she awoke the next morning, she noticed her stomach looked flatter and \u201cjiggly,\u201d not as round and hard as usual.\u00a0 Her baby was suddenly silent, no movement was felt.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband usually called me during the day, and when he did, I told him I couldn\u2019t feel our baby moving any longer,\u201d Near said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure what to do, so I just went about my day. My sister-in-law is a nurse so I eventually called her to her to see what I should do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She was told to contact the doctor on call who advised her to come to the hospital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A devastating and unexplained loss<\/strong><\/p>\n

Near said, \u201cI was put into the birthing center where they checked to see if the baby had a heartbeat. I was told that no heartbeat was detected.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But the attending nurse told Near not to worry, and that sometimes it\u2019s hard to perceive a heartbeat. The doctor ordered an ultrasound and Near was escorted to another room where her husband and sister-in-law joined her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were devastated when the doctor who was conducting the ultrasound turned the monitor off, and said, \u2018I\u2019m sorry, there\u2019s no heartbeat,\u201d Near said. “He gave us some time alone to grasp the news.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When the doctor returned, he announced that he wanted to do a level 2 ultrasound to gauge if there was blood flow, indicating a chance to save the baby. Near was transported back to the birthing room and by that time, her parents had arrived.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the news wasn\u2019t as they had hoped, and the couple was given the option of going home and returning the next day to induce Near\u2019s labor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Near said, \u201cWe thought we would have more time. We didn\u2019t have a suitcase packed so all I could think of was to go home and come back the next day. We didn\u2019t sleep at all that night so in retrospect, I should have just stayed. It was such a traumatic time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She endured 16 hours of labor, and her sister-in-law finally urged her to get an epidural to relieve the intense pain. <\/span>\u201cThe epidural didn\u2019t help much, and my blood pressure dropped drastically,\u201d Near said. \u201cMy mother was afraid she was going to lose me as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When baby Callie was born, she was placed in her mother\u2019s arms. Near sang to her, rocked her, and showered her with love.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the Nears wanted answers as to why their seemingly healthy late-term baby perished in the womb. <\/span>\u201cWe requested an autopsy to get some answers,\u201d Near said.\u00a0<\/span>Nothing definitive was determined; doctors could only speculate that given her high activity level in the womb, it was possible that Callie died due to compression of the umbilical cord which may have gotten wrapped up in an arm or leg and cut off blood flow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Near said, \u201cIt was going to be hard to tell our son. When I arrived home from the hospital, he came up to me and wanted to talk to his sister in my belly like he usually does. I told him she was in heaven.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While in the hospital, Near\u2019s husband Chris noticed the same card on another patient\u2019s door as was tacked on their own: a black leaf with a tear to denote a pregnancy loss. Chris knocked on the door, wanting to know how the mom inside was doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris said, \u201cI prayed with the mom and her grandmother that God\u2019s comfort and peace would surround them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Nears heard of other couples who had lost babies and offered to pray for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy father asked us if we had thought about launching a ministry to help others who were suffering like we were,\u201d Near said. \u201cWe felt God was directing us by opening the right doors so we could walk alongside those who were impacted by pregnancy and infant loss. We hadn\u2019t really found any resources that adequately addressed this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ministry providing healing to grieving parents gains international attention<\/b><\/p>\n

Spurred by a desire to share the love of Christ in a compassionate, non-judgmental arena, the Nears founded Hope From a Healing Heart: Help for Bereaved Parents from Bereaved Parents<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe realize that others grieve differently and have different views of faith, and we respected that. We just wanted to create a space where everyone felt welcome, loved and supported,” Chris said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the couple participated in online grief forums, their ministry grew, gaining the attention of grief-stricken parents worldwide. Women who were post-abortive were drawn to the Nears’ ministry, finding healing through their compassion and acceptance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about our grief but about the hope we have in Christ,\u201d Chris said. \u201cWe can trust him through this deep valley.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just three years after losing Callie, Near suffered a miscarriage six weeks into her pregnancy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, she and Chris have four living children, in addition to those they lost.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have never forgotten our two children who are in heaven,\u201d Near said. \u201cPregnancy loss is heartbreaking regardless of how far along in the pregnancy. It\u2019s still a precious life that was lost. We are grateful to be able to comfort others in their time of need. And while we\u2019ve stepped away from our ministry, we will always be a phone call away to hurting parents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chris and Melissa Near lost so much when their daughter was stillborn at 35 weeks gestation, but channeled their grief and pain to minister to other couples impacted by pregnancy and infant loss.\u00a0 Near\u2019s second pregnancy was normal throughout. In fact, her baby, whom the couple named \u201cCallie Jo,\u201d was very active in the womb […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":326114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDevastating stillbirth spurs couple to launch ministry caring for others experiencing child loss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chris and Melissa Near's daughter was stillborn at 35 weeks gestation, but they channeled their grief and pain into ministering to others.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/devastating-stillbirth-couple-ministry-child-loss\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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