Bereavement for Loss of Baby/Child
Serving Rockland, Orange and Northern Bergen Counties
Our Newsletter
Your baby dies.
The grief you feel is very real.
Others may try to comfort you, but the pain doesn't go away. When a baby dies, parents go through an intense grieving process. Everyone grieves differently. As you go through the healing process of grief, you may feel very alone and vulnerable.
"Is what I am feeling NORMAL"?
"Am I acting the way I should"?
Your baby was, and is, a part of you; when your baby died so did many of your hopes and dreams for the future.
Good Samaritan Hospital's Perinatal Bereavement Support Program (PBSP)
Recognizes that grief needs to be shared. Often the baby is quickly forgotten by others, leaving parents alone. Through mutual help groups and special events, PBSP provides a supportive environment where families can share their thoughts, feelings, and similar experiences.
"We have been attending a perinatal bereavement group and it helps us to be around others who have gone through a similar loss". "The meetings give us comfort and hope for the future".
Services Available
Annual Events
"Walk To Remember"
During the month of October, National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, a national network of parents, health professionals, friends, and family members across the U.S. will be symbolically joining each other by participating in their local “Walk to Remember”. This walk is dedicated to approximately 870,000 babies who die each year through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, or newborn death.
Sponsored by the Perinatal Bereavement Program at Good Samaritan Hospital
Date: Sunday, October 14, 2007 - Rain or Shine!
Place: “Walk” starts from 37 Washington Avenue in the Village of Suffern (parking lot on the right directly across from firehouse) and ends at Good Samaritan Hospital. Rides back to the parking lot after program will be available.
Time: Meet at 1pm, walk begins at 1:30pm, followed by a 1 hour ceremony and light refreshments at the hospital.
View our flyer (pdf)
*For more information, contact Pam Magi @ 845-368-5297
Other Things You Need to Know:
- Everyone is welcome – your family, friends, and other bereaved families
- In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held in the hospital auditorium at 2pm
- T-shirts will be sold at the parking lot before the walk
- If you have borrowed any books and are finished with them, PLEASE return them at the walk
Directions: Take Rt. 59 (main road in front of hospital) toward mtown of Suffern, and then make a right at the 3rd light after hospital onto Chestnut St. The parking lot will be across from
the Post Office.
Holiday Candlelight Memorial Service
A non-sectarian memorial service that provides an opportunity for families to remember the babies who have died. This service is held during the month of December.
View Candle Lighting Flyer (pdf)
Reunion Picnic
A gathering of families to celebrate their "safe arrivals", and reconnect with other parents.
Walkway of Remembrance
Symbolic gestures play an important role in the healing process. The "Walkway of Remembrance", on the grounds of Good Samaritan Hospital, is especially comforting for those who have experienced a loss. The walkway and garden, contain commemorative brick pavers on which individuals inscribe personal information, such as the child's name, birth and death dates, and/or a brief message.
Mutual support can help toward the resolution of grief. Parents gain a sense of wholeness when their feelings are validated.
PBSP offers support through the various stages of grief and grief reactions. Symptoms of grief can be so overwhelming that it is often a comfort to learn that these symptoms are a normal reaction to loss. You may experience shock, disbelief, numbness, confusion, forgetfulness, sadness, anger, guilt, depression, and fatigue. You may also experience physical symptoms such as aching arms, heaviness in the chest, dreams of the baby, and appetite disturbances. The need to talk about your experience over and over is also very common.
- Any bereaved parent, relative or friend may attend meetings.
- Listening and/or sharing is provided in a comfortable and informal environment.
- Support Groups meet monthly, with the exception of "Grandparents Turn" which meets quarterly.
Bereavement Support Groups
- Stillborn and Newborn Death
- Miscarriage and Ectopic Pregnancy
- Heartbreaking Choices
Interruption of the wanted pregnancy
- Moving On
Subsequent pregnancy after the loss of a baby
- Safe Arrivals
For parents who have experienced the birth of a baby after a loss and are seeking a safe environment to share their joy and discuss any concerns or emotional issues in this new stage of their parenting.
- Grandparents Turn
- Bereavement support for parents who have experienced the loss of several pregnancies
- Bereavement support for parents who have experienced the loss of a baby/babies of a multiple pregnancy (ex. 1 twin dies and the other survives)
Our Current Newsletter - Fall 2006 (Adobe Acrobat Reader Required)
Hope & Healing is published bi-annually by bereaved parents who have discovered that writing is a powerful release of emotions. Each issue includes poems, personal stories, articles related to loss, book reviews, a listing of "safe arrivals", new losses and donations. We encourage all readers to submit items for publication.
You Are Not Alone….
We know that no one will be able to take away your pain, we are here to support, listen and help you through this journey. For more information on support groups, events, or the Walkway of Remembrance, please contact the Perinatal Bereavement Coordinator at (845) 368-5297.
Funding
There is no charge to participate in the program. Contributions to the bereavement program are welcome and appreciated. Your tax deductible donation may be sent to:
GSH Perinatal Bereavement Program
Attn: Bereavement Coordinator
255 Lafayette Ave.
Suffern, NY 10901
For additional information please contact Pam Magi, Bereavement Coordinator, at 845-368-5297 or you can reach her by completing this Contact Form.
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