Grieving for Babies is an online web resource that provides guidance for grieving families and NICU providers.
Developed and produced by by DIA Productions in collaboration with SHARE Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital and Stepstone Productions, Grieving for Babies offers resources for parents and professionals.
Programs from Grieving for Babies
Grieving in the NICU: Mending Broken Hearts When a Baby Dies - For Families This program is directed towards the needs of grieving family members. The DVD includes a 70-minute chaptered video addressing topics of the initial shock and intense grief, carrying on with life, the grief of siblings and grandparents, and the role of chaplains throughout the bereavement process.
Grieving in the NICU: Supporting Families and the Health Team When a Baby Dies - For Providers
This program is designed to help health care professionals play an integral part in the lives of parents faced with the death of a baby.
I am signed up to take the Grieving in the NICU Supporting Families and the Health Team for continuing education units. I will keep you posted as to the results of taking the course.
For More on Grieving for Babies see their website.
S.P.R.I.N.G. (Supporting Parents and Relatives In Neonatal Grief) is an organization in the U.K. that provides many unique resources and local opportunities for parents experiencing neonatal grief.
Supporting Parents and Relatives In Neonatal Grief was established to provide support to parents and relatives who have experienced the death of a baby during pregnancy, at, or just after birth. This includes miscarriage, stillbirth and termination for foetal abnormality.
S.P.R.I.N.G. is run by a unique combination of bereaved parents, relatives and caring professionals from the Poole Maternity Unit in Poole, Dorset in the U.K.
Their aim is to befriend and support through grief. This is achieved by offering counseling, befriending and monthly support meetings.
Little Angels - Knitting for the Poole Maternity
Supporting Parents and Relatives In Neonatal Grief also encourages knitters to kit and donate baby clothes and teddies for their fundraisers.
On their website they have two knitting patterns on the site, one for this cute teddy bear and another one for booties and hat.
Knitting Angels is a great idea for other NICU's and NICU families to adopt in the United States and other countries.
More Knitting Projects
If you are interested in sharing your knitting or crocheting talents with NICU newborns, contact your local NICU and see if there is an organized program there.
A message tonight in my email box touched my heart and lead to the creation of a new lens on Squidoo. I had just recently updated the Bereavement Photography lens, so I have been writing about resources for parents coping with the death of a child.
This lens is dedicated to the loving, healing project that is Calvin's Hats, a volunteer project hand-knitting tiny hats for babies who are born to early to survive.
Healing from Loss
Calvin's Hats was created in loving memory of Calvin John by his parents Jenna and John to help bring grieving parents a small amount of healing, comfort, and peace during their time of tremendous loss.
Jenna and John share some of the reasons for creating Calvin's Hats on their website:
We are offering to grieving parents a gift which can bring a small amount of comfort and peace... a hat tiny enough to fit right on their precious child's head and something to hold on to when their child is no longer here.
Our wish is for these hats to bring a small amount of healing.
Annie, their volunteer coordinator, wanted to know if I might "be able to help pass it on to those who might find it helpful. Our goal is simply to bless families and we'll do whatever it takes to get the word out there so we can make that happen."
Thus was born the Calvin's Hats Squidoo lens and this blog post.
I hope both help to get the word out to those knitters and volunteers who may be moved to donate their time, their skills and their resources to help in creating these healing hats.
I also hope posting about it helps parents grieving the loss of their newborn to find out about this healing resource and experience a small amount of comfort knowing the gift given was inspired by parents who had also experience the loss of a newborn.
Grieving for Babies is an online web resource that provides guidance for grieving families and NICU providers.
