dōTERRA Wellness Advocate Serves Mothers with At-Risk Pregnancies

 January 25, 2016

High blood pressure, infection, and cancer are factors that can negatively impact expecting mothers and their babies, but the Acts of Grace Foundation is dedicated to comfort them in their time of need.

After the devastation of losing one of their daughters during a high-risk pregnancy, doTERRA Wellness Advocate Marlena Diedrich and her husband, Joseff, founded the Acts of Grace Foundation. Their inspiration for the program stemmed from Marlena’s six weeks of bed rest at the hospital while she was pregnant with twins. During this nerve-wracking time, she was only allowed to leave her room a few times a day, and when she did leave her room, she met other mothers with high-risk pregnancies who were going through similar challenges. Marlena and Joseff continued to remember these women even after they lost their baby, Grace, and they decided to create a foundation to honor their little girl and to help other women battling high-risk pregnancies.

High-risk pregnancies can be caused by many different factors and can complicate the health of the baby and mother. For instance, high blood pressure is one simple, yet detrimental, health issue that can lead to a high risk-pregnancy. Having high blood pressure can cause low birth weight or even premature delivery.¹ An increase of blood pressure can also lead to life-threatening conditions like preeclampsia which can harm both the mother and child.¹ Other factors that contribute to high-risk pregnancies may include having more than one baby per pregnancy, being older than thirty-five, or having previous issues with heart disease, auto-immune disorders, diabetes, cancer, and infection.² When mothers experience premature pregnancies resulting from these factors or similar high-risk issues, they can experience a great bout of frustration and worry.

However, the Diedrichs are striving to serve these struggling mothers through the Acts of Grace Foundation. The foundation’s goal is to comfort mothers with high-risk pregnancies and to uplift them while they are in the hospital. They do this through providing floral deliveries, toiletries, and goody bags for expecting mothers, giving gas cards and meal vouchers to families, and putting together events where high-risk moms can socialize with other women experiencing similar trials. The Acts of Grace Foundation has been helping expecting mothers for eight years. Today, the foundation serves eight hospitals in Colorado and has sent gift boxes to women on bed rest all over the country. There is no doubt that these small acts of service are making a big impact on mothers nationwide.

Visit the Acts of Grace Foundation to learn more or to donate.

1."High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy"
2."Health Problems in Pregnancy"