Holly Jones, Founder of Phoenix Bears – hard at work making bears for mamas who have lost their babies.
After learning that some hospitals have teddy bears to give bereaved mamas as they wheel them out (so they don’t leave with empty arms), Holly decided this was something every bereaved mama should have. She thinks it would have helped to have something soft and cuddly to hold, hug, & cry into while leaving the hospital and after arriving home. She also learned about teddy bears that can be weighted to a baby’s exact weight. After discovering the extremely long wait list for such a bear, Holly set out to make her own so she wouldn’t have to wait many months to get a comfort bear. The Phoenix Bear she made has brought her and her husband comfort and helped with “empty arms syndrome”. To hold, cradle, and rock Phoenix Bear, and to be able to feel Phoenix’s birth weight again – 5 lbs. 4 oz. – is such a special thing.
Holly’s hope is to provide comfort to those who have lost their precious babies by donating bears to hospitals in honor of Phoenix. She also would like to provide the opportunity for other bereaved mamas to order their own personalized teddy bear weighted to their baby’s weight. She knows from experience there is nothing quite like feeling your baby’s weight in your arms again.
We not only donate 17″ Phoenix Bears, 7″ Pheeney Bears (& smaller bears for miscarriages) to the hospital for bereaved mamas, but also tiny bears, affectionately named “Pheeney Bears, Teeny Pheeney Bears, and Itsy Bitsy Teeny Pheeney Bears”, for the nurses at the hospital to give to the baby who has passed away. These Pheeney Bears will give the bereaved parents a sweet furry friend to take pictures of their baby with while in the hospital, as well as giving them the option to send this special bear with baby to cremation, have their baby buried holding it, or for the bereaved parents to take home as a cherished keepsake. We did this with our precious Phoenix and we want others to have the same opportunity.
Our Story
**Our story includes some Possible Trauma Triggers, including pictures of our baby**
On September 14th, 2022, our lives were changed forever. Our precious baby boy, Phoenix, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from a very tight true knot in his umbilical cord that went undetected. We did not find out the cause of death until after he was born still the next day, September 15th, 2022, at 35 weeks gestation. This is the worst loss that we have ever experienced. We will always have a huge hole in our hearts and in our family that can not be filled this side of Heaven. If you would like to read a detailed account of Phoenix’s story, **TRAUMA TRIGGER WARNING** click here **TRAUMA TRIGGER WARNING**.
Here are a few pictures of our precious son, Phoenix Zion Xavier Jones, who was born into the arms of Jesus on September 15, 2022. We miss him so much.
