Pregnancy and Baby Loss Support Resources in the Washington DC Area
Birth Options Alliance Board Member Contact:
Jill Chasse- baby_counselor@yahoo.com; http://www.magicofmotherhood.com/grief.html
Jill is a maternal/perinatal mental health and wellness consultant with over 15 years experience working with expecting mothers and families. She holds multiple certifications in bereavement, postpartum depression, maternal mental health, grief and loss, and post traumatic stress disorder. She is a member of the APA and certified by IACT. She also holds an MS in family and developmental psychology. Jill Chasse has led numerous support groups and perinatal loss education trainings. She has been the Family Services director of the SIDS Foundation in Oklahoma, and is currently a perinatal loss grief counselor on Share Grief (www.sharegrief.com). Jill is the mommy of her own angel baby, Arielle June, who passed in 2002.
Volunteer Bereavement Doulas:
Rose Quintilian, HCHI www.mygentlebirth.com 240-994-7878
I am a DONA trained Birth Doula offering support to all varieties of families in the DC Metro Area. I am a Hypnobabies Childbirth Educator, but attend births of all philosophies. I am Rebozo certified, have attended a Breastfeeding workshop and was a member of LLL for several years. I am also trained to provide support births with special diagnosis. I have been trained as a Bereavement Doula through www.stillbirthday.com. I would be honored to walk beside you and offer whatever support I am able. Please call me for more information.
Melissa Nauss
Anchored In Hope
717-654-9285
anchoredinhope@outlook.com
https://www.facebook.com/AnchoredInHope619
http://anchoredinhope.wix.com/babylossdoula
If you found this page after being given the devastating news that your precious son or daughter has died, I am so sorry. Please reach out to me as soon as possible so that I can be by your side either in person or via phone, email, or text support. I am available 24 hours per day.
Take a deep breath and slow down your thoughts. Remember that nothing has changed in your love for your sweet son or daughter and we can take this news one minute at a time to process all of the decisions being thrown your way. No decisions must be made immediately and you can say, "Please let me have some time to think about that..." before proceeding. Let's focus on creating a birth preference plan and meeting your beloved, cherished, and beautiful son or daughter first and foremost.
I am here to help you create this birth preference plan, to provide support and advocacy as needed, to assist in making memories, and to provide assistance where needed when plans must be made.
Other Resources:
Tammi McKinley, CPM Northern Virginia, has a particular interest in helping families who have or will experience the loss of a baby, . She has put together a perinatal loss support system: http://www.novababy loss.org/
http://novamidwife.org/loss/resources.html
Wendt Center for Loss and Healing: “The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing is a premier resource for addressing grief and trauma in adults and children. We provide mental health services, training and education, crisis response and case management services to ease the impact of illness, loss, and traumatic events. We respect individuals and their experiences, understand the pain of loss, and support people in their healing journey.”
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep- volunteer photographers for families who have experienced a stillbirth.
Adventist Healthcare- death of a child and fetal loss resources, and support groups
Holy Cross Hospital- Never Alone Perinatal Palliative Care Program
24/7 Grief Counseling by Telephone:
First Candle (see description of group, below): 1 (800) 221-7437
Online Support:
Stillbirthday "A pregnancy loss is still a birthday" A comprehensive site on all types of loss, birth support, bereavement support, and so much more.
Facts about Miscarriage
International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination, Inc. (INCIID)
iVillage Pregnancy and Parenting Message Boards- includes topics such as infertility, stillbirths, death of babies and children.
Mothering Magazine- forums under “Pregnancy and Birth"- “Pregnancy after Birth Loss” and “Trying to Conceive after Birth Loss”
Yahoo! Discussion Groups: Search for “miscarriage” or other search terms, such as your particular medical condition.
Angel Babies (At Magic of Motherhood): Angel Babies provides support, counseling and education through Magic of Motherhood. We offer one-on-one sessions, online counseling, books and literature to help families understand and cope with their grief. Additionally, Magic of Motherhood provides subsequent pregnancy support and counseling, including maternal preparation and family sessions.
First Candle: First Candle is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to safe pregnancies and the survival of babies through the first years of life. Our current priority is to eliminate Stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) with programs of research, education and advocacy.
Healing Hearts Baby Loss Comfort: Healing Hearts Baby Loss Comfort was created in response to the reality that some pregnancies do not end happily. We wanted Healing Hearts Baby Loss Comfort to be a place for women to feel comfortable looking for real, physical comfort, herbal remedies and spiritual nurturing, as well as a space to find resources, honor their grief and express their loss.
Jacki Silber: A California-based family therapist focusing on postpartum depression, adjustment to parenthood and couples therapy, the “Loss” section of her site has many helpful resources, including a “Mourner’s Bill of Rights”
Remembering Our Babies/ October 15th: Remembering Our Babies was created to provide support, education and awareness for those who are suffering or may know someone who has suffered a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, a still birth, or the loss of an infant. www.october15th.com
Online Workshops:
Perinatal Loss Workshop: Losing a Child in Pregnancy or the 1st Year: This is an online workshop intended for parents who have lost a baby during pregnancy or after birth. It is a self paced, guided tour through the healing process to work through grief and bereavement issues. Available at the Wise Woman University.
Welcoming Angels- Perinatal Bereavement Workshop for Birthworkers: This workshop is for individuals who work with families that have suffered the tragic death of a baby through pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or in the first few months after birth the tools they need to help families and heal themselves. Available at the Wise Woman University.
Books:
Mourning Has Broken: A Collection of Creative Writing about Grief and Healing (2007): Note that there are several books on the market about grief with the same title but different subtitles. This book, published in Canada, is a collection of 50 essays that focus on healing from the pain of losing a loved one.
Forever Our Angels (2006): This book is a collection of personal stories told by the men and women who were dealt the blow of miscarriage.” Available from many online book retailers, including Amazon.com.
Empty Cradle, Broken Heart, Revised Edition: Surviving the Death of Your Baby Deborah Davis encourages grieving and makes suggestions for coping. The book includes information on issues such as the death of one or more babies from a multiple birth, pregnancy interruption, and the questioning of aggressive medical intervention. There is also a special chapter for fathers as well as a chapter on "protective parenting" to help anxious parents enjoy their precious living children.
When Hello Means Goodbye by Paul Kirk
High-Risk Pregnancy and Foetal Diagnosis: Your Journey (2006): This book offers practical guidance to women who are suddenly confronted with medical diagnoses that place them in a high-risk category or indicate abnormalities in their developing babies.
For Children:
We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel Instead by Pat Schwiebert
Mommy, Please Don't Cry: There Are No Tears in Heaven by Linda Deymaz
Someone Came Before You by Pat Schwiebert
Jill Chasse- baby_counselor@yahoo.com; http://www.magicofmotherhood.com/grief.html
Jill is a maternal/perinatal mental health and wellness consultant with over 15 years experience working with expecting mothers and families. She holds multiple certifications in bereavement, postpartum depression, maternal mental health, grief and loss, and post traumatic stress disorder. She is a member of the APA and certified by IACT. She also holds an MS in family and developmental psychology. Jill Chasse has led numerous support groups and perinatal loss education trainings. She has been the Family Services director of the SIDS Foundation in Oklahoma, and is currently a perinatal loss grief counselor on Share Grief (www.sharegrief.com). Jill is the mommy of her own angel baby, Arielle June, who passed in 2002.
Volunteer Bereavement Doulas:
Rose Quintilian, HCHI www.mygentlebirth.com 240-994-7878
I am a DONA trained Birth Doula offering support to all varieties of families in the DC Metro Area. I am a Hypnobabies Childbirth Educator, but attend births of all philosophies. I am Rebozo certified, have attended a Breastfeeding workshop and was a member of LLL for several years. I am also trained to provide support births with special diagnosis. I have been trained as a Bereavement Doula through www.stillbirthday.com. I would be honored to walk beside you and offer whatever support I am able. Please call me for more information.
Melissa Nauss
Anchored In Hope
717-654-9285
anchoredinhope@outlook.com
https://www.facebook.com/AnchoredInHope619
http://anchoredinhope.wix.com/babylossdoula
If you found this page after being given the devastating news that your precious son or daughter has died, I am so sorry. Please reach out to me as soon as possible so that I can be by your side either in person or via phone, email, or text support. I am available 24 hours per day.
Take a deep breath and slow down your thoughts. Remember that nothing has changed in your love for your sweet son or daughter and we can take this news one minute at a time to process all of the decisions being thrown your way. No decisions must be made immediately and you can say, "Please let me have some time to think about that..." before proceeding. Let's focus on creating a birth preference plan and meeting your beloved, cherished, and beautiful son or daughter first and foremost.
I am here to help you create this birth preference plan, to provide support and advocacy as needed, to assist in making memories, and to provide assistance where needed when plans must be made.
Other Resources:
Tammi McKinley, CPM Northern Virginia, has a particular interest in helping families who have or will experience the loss of a baby, . She has put together a perinatal loss support system: http://www.novababy loss.org/
http://novamidwife.org/loss/resources.html
Wendt Center for Loss and Healing: “The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing is a premier resource for addressing grief and trauma in adults and children. We provide mental health services, training and education, crisis response and case management services to ease the impact of illness, loss, and traumatic events. We respect individuals and their experiences, understand the pain of loss, and support people in their healing journey.”
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep- volunteer photographers for families who have experienced a stillbirth.
Adventist Healthcare- death of a child and fetal loss resources, and support groups
Holy Cross Hospital- Never Alone Perinatal Palliative Care Program
24/7 Grief Counseling by Telephone:
First Candle (see description of group, below): 1 (800) 221-7437
Online Support:
Stillbirthday "A pregnancy loss is still a birthday" A comprehensive site on all types of loss, birth support, bereavement support, and so much more.
Facts about Miscarriage
International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination, Inc. (INCIID)
iVillage Pregnancy and Parenting Message Boards- includes topics such as infertility, stillbirths, death of babies and children.
Mothering Magazine- forums under “Pregnancy and Birth"- “Pregnancy after Birth Loss” and “Trying to Conceive after Birth Loss”
Yahoo! Discussion Groups: Search for “miscarriage” or other search terms, such as your particular medical condition.
Angel Babies (At Magic of Motherhood): Angel Babies provides support, counseling and education through Magic of Motherhood. We offer one-on-one sessions, online counseling, books and literature to help families understand and cope with their grief. Additionally, Magic of Motherhood provides subsequent pregnancy support and counseling, including maternal preparation and family sessions.
First Candle: First Candle is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to safe pregnancies and the survival of babies through the first years of life. Our current priority is to eliminate Stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) with programs of research, education and advocacy.
Healing Hearts Baby Loss Comfort: Healing Hearts Baby Loss Comfort was created in response to the reality that some pregnancies do not end happily. We wanted Healing Hearts Baby Loss Comfort to be a place for women to feel comfortable looking for real, physical comfort, herbal remedies and spiritual nurturing, as well as a space to find resources, honor their grief and express their loss.
Jacki Silber: A California-based family therapist focusing on postpartum depression, adjustment to parenthood and couples therapy, the “Loss” section of her site has many helpful resources, including a “Mourner’s Bill of Rights”
Remembering Our Babies/ October 15th: Remembering Our Babies was created to provide support, education and awareness for those who are suffering or may know someone who has suffered a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, a still birth, or the loss of an infant. www.october15th.com
Online Workshops:
Perinatal Loss Workshop: Losing a Child in Pregnancy or the 1st Year: This is an online workshop intended for parents who have lost a baby during pregnancy or after birth. It is a self paced, guided tour through the healing process to work through grief and bereavement issues. Available at the Wise Woman University.
Welcoming Angels- Perinatal Bereavement Workshop for Birthworkers: This workshop is for individuals who work with families that have suffered the tragic death of a baby through pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or in the first few months after birth the tools they need to help families and heal themselves. Available at the Wise Woman University.
Books:
Mourning Has Broken: A Collection of Creative Writing about Grief and Healing (2007): Note that there are several books on the market about grief with the same title but different subtitles. This book, published in Canada, is a collection of 50 essays that focus on healing from the pain of losing a loved one.
Forever Our Angels (2006): This book is a collection of personal stories told by the men and women who were dealt the blow of miscarriage.” Available from many online book retailers, including Amazon.com.
Empty Cradle, Broken Heart, Revised Edition: Surviving the Death of Your Baby Deborah Davis encourages grieving and makes suggestions for coping. The book includes information on issues such as the death of one or more babies from a multiple birth, pregnancy interruption, and the questioning of aggressive medical intervention. There is also a special chapter for fathers as well as a chapter on "protective parenting" to help anxious parents enjoy their precious living children.
When Hello Means Goodbye by Paul Kirk
High-Risk Pregnancy and Foetal Diagnosis: Your Journey (2006): This book offers practical guidance to women who are suddenly confronted with medical diagnoses that place them in a high-risk category or indicate abnormalities in their developing babies.
For Children:
We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel Instead by Pat Schwiebert
Mommy, Please Don't Cry: There Are No Tears in Heaven by Linda Deymaz
Someone Came Before You by Pat Schwiebert
