Resources & Links:
Grief & Loss
Support and resources for coping with the loss of a pregnancy, perinatal loss of a child, or loss in multiple birth.
Fairfield County Support | Online Support
Bereavement Support Services in Fairfield County
TTMF Bereavement Parent Mentors
(203) 202-9714
We have Tiny Miracles volunteers who, having suffered the loss of a baby or child, are now trained mentors who specialize in supporting other families. Please call us at 203-202-9714 if you would like us to put you in touch with a volunteer — they can contact you by phone, by email or in person.
Ann D’Elia, Psychotherapist
30 Washington Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830
(203) 661-0270
Ann specializes in helping parents who have suffered the loss of a child.
Perinatal Bereavement Support Group, Greenwich Hospital
5 Perryridge Road, Greenwich, CT 06830
(203) 863-3417
For families who have suffered a perinatal loss through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. Some parents who attend this group have lost an older child.
Second Wednesdays, 7:30 – 9:30PM
"We Care" Perinatal Support Group, St. Vincent's Medical Center
2800 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06606
(203) 576-5110
For families who have lost a child prior to or at birth.
Third Wednesdays, Ambulatory Infusion Center, 7:00 – 8:15PM
Center for HOPE, Family Centers Darien
590 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820
(203) 655-0547
Part of Family Centers, the Center for HOPE is a private, nonprofit organization offering education and human services to children, adults and families in Fairfield County. All counseling, support and education services are facilitated by specially-trained professionals in an atmosphere of hope and renewal. Their Parents Bereavement Group provides support to parents who are coping with the death of a child.
Mondays, 5:45 – 7:00PM
The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation
The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) gently provides a helping hand and a healing heart to families overcome by grief and pain. NILMDTS administer a network of nearly 3,000 volunteer professional photographers, including more than a dozen in Connecticut. At a family's request, a NILMDTS Affiliated Photographer will come to your hospital and conduct a sensitive and private portrait session. The portraits are then professionally retouched and presented to the family on an archival DVD or CD that can be used to print portraits of their cherished baby. These services are offered at no cost and allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives.
The Hygeia Foundation
The Hygeia® Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Connecticut whose mission is to comfort those who grieve the loss of a pregnancy or newborn child. They currently hold three different bereavement support meetings – Pregnancy & Infant Loss, Parenting After a Loss, and Subsequent Pregnancy – at locations in Guilford, Westport and Woodbridge. Please visit their website for current locations and times. They also host online message boards in a supportive, private, international email community; their Registry allows you to find another parent with a similar loss to your own.
Click here for Hygeia's Fall 2011 newsletter (PDF, requires Adobe® Reader®)
Multiple Angels
Multiple Angels offers support for Fairfield and Westchester County parents who have experienced a loss in multiple birth. They help connect parents to other local parents who've unfortunately "been there, done that" to aid in the healing process during this devastating time. They have a lending library of grief literature, and conduct a beautiful interfaith Candlelight Remembrance Service every spring. All their work is confidential, and no private information is ever given out without prior consent. Contact Tiny Miracles at 203-202-9714 and we will connect you to this group.
The Compassionate Friends
The Compassionate Friends assists families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age, and to provide information to help others be supportive. They have local chapters in Bridgeport, Stamford, Danbury, and six other locations throughout the state of Connecticut.
Online Bereavement Support Services
There are millions of online bereavement websites; here are a few.
March of Dimes: Loss and Grief
www.marchofdimes.com/baby/loss_lossofababy.html
Tips on how to deal with your grief, how to cope with family and friends as you grieve and what you can do to remember your baby.
Premature Baby Bereavement Gowns
www.preemieproud.com/bego.html
Both micro-preemie (1-3 pounds) and preemie (4-7 pounds) sizes are available.
CLIMB: Center for Loss in Multiple Birth, Inc.
CLIMB consists of parents throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond who have experienced the death of one or more, both or all of their twins or higher multiples at any time from conception through birth, infancy and childhood.
Share: Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, Inc.
www.nationalshare.org/parents.html
The mission of Share: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc. is to serve those whose lives are touched by the tragic death of a baby through pregnancy loss, stillbirth or in the first few months of life. They provide support toward positive resolution of grief experienced at the time of, or following the death of a baby. Their website features many resources, including a "Share Your Thoughts" blog, chat rooms, and an extensive bibliography on grief following a perinatal loss.
M.I.S.S. Foundation
The MISS Foundation is a nonprofit volunteer-based organization committed to providing crisis support and long-term aid to families after the death of a child from any cause.
Recover From Grief
www.recover-from-grief.com/parents-grief.html
This general grief website offers a special section on Parent Grief, as well as a comprehensive look at the four major theories around the Stages of Grief.
StorkNet’s Pregnancy/Infant Loss
www.storknet.com/cubbies/pil/index.html
StorkNet offers hope and support through articles, a Remembrance Rose Garden, and a special bookshelf of books.
phone (203) 202-9714