Stillbirthday: A Resource for People Expecting or Experiencing a Stillbirth

There are a few resources we share on this site that, while tremendously helpful, I hope you'll never have a need to use them. Stillbirthday is one of them.

If you are pregnant and expecting a child who will not survive, or if you are the survivor of a recent or long ago stillbirth, first let me say: I am so, so sorry for your loss, and for the immense pain you are experiencing. Your grieving, no matter how much and for how long, is valid, and you are deserving of support. If you haven't already, I encourage you to visit -- when you are ready -- Stillbirthday, a website and community of resources, support, tips, and story sharing.

Stillbirthday was founded by Heidi Faith, a birth and bereavement doula and mother whose baby was born in the first trimester. Stillbirthday has become a global network that provides sources of perinatal bereavement, strengthens skills of healthcare professionals, and increases healthy engagement of perinatal related needs among communities. Stillbirthday has also founded the birth and bereavement doula, SPD Doula, certification program.

Stillbirthday truly is a complete, all-in-one support site for parents who have lost children. On the site, you can find:

• Links to in-person support
• Practical information to prepare for birth and burial
• Birth plan templates
• Resources for family members, including dads, teens, and children
• Photos of babies at different gestational ages
• Long-term support resources
• Memorial and tribute ideas
• Grief resources

If you are interested in serving families as a stillbirth doula, you also can find training and certification information on Stillbirthday.

An experience in stillbirth and loss does not end. There are phases and differences in intensity of feelings and grief that occur over a lifetime. It's important and immensely helpful to find support and community as you go through life after loss. I hope that, if you are ever in need of such resources, you discover and reach out to those found on Stillbirthday.

Published: June 20, 2018

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