October is designated as
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
I thought I'd take a moment from my busy life to share some of the organizations who help families who experience the loss of a child. You may be fortunate enough not to have personally experienced a loss or even know someone who has, but please be aware that these groups exist.
M.I.S. & P.A.L.S. Groups at Women & Infants' Hospital
Miscarriage, Infant Death & Stillbirth Group, Inc. (M.I.S. Group) is a non-profit organization for parents who have experienced the loss of a baby through miscarriage, infant death or stillbirth. Begun in 1986, it is a refuge for the bereaved to obtain support and information from facilitators who have themselves gone through the grieving and healing process.
Pregnancy After Loss Support (P.A.L.S.)
Affiliated with the M.I.S. Group, Pregnancy After Loss Support (P.A.L.S.) is a self-help organization for parents who have lost a baby through miscarriage, selective termination, stillbirth, neonatal death, sudden infant death, or accidental death, and who are now in or considering a subsequent pregnancy.
Offering friendship, support, and understanding, P.A.L.S. is a safe haven to obtain support and information whether you’ve had a loss and are pregnant again, are trying to conceive, or are simply exploring the idea of becoming pregnant again.
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/
Pregnancy and birth are miraculous journeys. This amazing time of life is full of mystery, anticipation, joy, hope, and wonder. Feeling the powerful energy of birth and new life, watching as a new family is born unto each other. These things humble and amaze. These are the things that we celebrate when a baby is born.
But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth. There is an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is confusion, sadness, fear, and uncertainty that cannot be explained. There is sorrow where there should have been joy. During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future.
This is the place where the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation gently provides a helping hand and a healing heart. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives.
Events
I will post specific details of each event as the dates draw near.
The Compassionate Friends has a worldwide candle lighting in December.
For more details, check out http://www.compassionatefriends.org/
Night of Remembrance
An annual Night of Remembrance service sponsored by the M.I.S. Group and P.A.L.S. in conjunction with Women & Infants’ Hospital is held the Friday before Thanksgiving at 7 p.m. in the Women & Infants’ Hospital Auditoriums. Parents, relatives, friends, and caregivers are all welcome. Respectfully, please no children.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
I thought I'd take a moment from my busy life to share some of the organizations who help families who experience the loss of a child. You may be fortunate enough not to have personally experienced a loss or even know someone who has, but please be aware that these groups exist.
M.I.S. & P.A.L.S. Groups at Women & Infants' Hospital
Miscarriage, Infant Death & Stillbirth Group, Inc. (M.I.S. Group) is a non-profit organization for parents who have experienced the loss of a baby through miscarriage, infant death or stillbirth. Begun in 1986, it is a refuge for the bereaved to obtain support and information from facilitators who have themselves gone through the grieving and healing process.
Pregnancy After Loss Support (P.A.L.S.)
Affiliated with the M.I.S. Group, Pregnancy After Loss Support (P.A.L.S.) is a self-help organization for parents who have lost a baby through miscarriage, selective termination, stillbirth, neonatal death, sudden infant death, or accidental death, and who are now in or considering a subsequent pregnancy.
Offering friendship, support, and understanding, P.A.L.S. is a safe haven to obtain support and information whether you’ve had a loss and are pregnant again, are trying to conceive, or are simply exploring the idea of becoming pregnant again.
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/
Pregnancy and birth are miraculous journeys. This amazing time of life is full of mystery, anticipation, joy, hope, and wonder. Feeling the powerful energy of birth and new life, watching as a new family is born unto each other. These things humble and amaze. These are the things that we celebrate when a baby is born.
But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth. There is an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is confusion, sadness, fear, and uncertainty that cannot be explained. There is sorrow where there should have been joy. During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future.
This is the place where the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation gently provides a helping hand and a healing heart. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives.
Events
I will post specific details of each event as the dates draw near.
The Compassionate Friends has a worldwide candle lighting in December.
For more details, check out http://www.compassionatefriends.org/
Night of Remembrance
An annual Night of Remembrance service sponsored by the M.I.S. Group and P.A.L.S. in conjunction with Women & Infants’ Hospital is held the Friday before Thanksgiving at 7 p.m. in the Women & Infants’ Hospital Auditoriums. Parents, relatives, friends, and caregivers are all welcome. Respectfully, please no children.
Thinking of all my friends and acquaintances who are bereaved parents.
Wishing you peaceful moments today.
