Losing a child is, without a doubt, the greatest pain that parents can experience . However, when this loss occurs during pregnancy, childbirth or a few days after birth, society insists on making it invisible, often hiding the terrible suffering of families.
Psychologists and therapists insist on the importance of going through grief in a natural and healthy way, respecting the times that each one needs and offering parents all the support and understanding that these moments require.
For this, it is necessary to make pregnancy, perinatal and neonatal losses visible (unfortunately they happen, and talking about it will make parents who are experiencing this circumstance feel less alone) and offer families the possibility of freely expressing their pain and finding support emotional.
In this sense, both individual therapy and groups specialized in perinatal mourning and associations are of great help to navigate the difficult path that has to be followed after the loss of a child.
If you are experiencing this painful situation , here is a list of organizations you can turn to for help.
Help parents whose baby has died
We speak of gestational death (also known as intrauterine fetal death) when it occurs in the womb, between approximately 20 and 28 weeks of gestation.
For its part, perinatal death is one that occurs after week 28 or in the first seven days after the birth of the baby. But if the death of the newborn occurs in the first month of life, then it is known as neonatal death .
To the hard blow that this experience supposes for some parents is often added the absence of medical protocols, the scarce training in perinatal death of the personnel that attends them and the misunderstanding and lack of empathy of the environment . And it is that frequently, the people close to the parents end up moving away because they do not know what to say or how to act to protect them.
Below we have prepared a list with some of the support networks or associations that you can go to to navigate your grief. However, we advise you to also find out about support groups that may be in your city or town, as well as psychologists and therapists specialized in gestational and neonatal losses.
Spanish Federation of Gestational Grief
FEDUP is a non-profit federation that was born on August 3, 2021, made up of associations with common goals and interests with the aim of raising awareness in a blind and dumb society about gestational, perinatal, neonatal and early childhood death, as well as deaths that occur due to interruptions of pregnancy, whether for personal reasons or medical diagnosis.
Its objectives are:
- Make society and health professionals aware of the importance and need to use terms correctly, so as not to cause more pain to families.
- Promote necessary legal changes that facilitate mourning.
- Advise, represent and accompany families.
You can contact FEDUP through its website, e-mail or telephone.
‘a little hand’
The Una Manita association was founded in 2009 by Jillian Cassidy, after she lost her first daughter, Uma, during pregnancy. Since then it has been working to improve care for gestational and neonatal death in Spain .
The association, based on voluntary work, has become the main reference at the national level both in support for mothers/fathers and professionals, as well as in research, training for health professionals, revitalization and implementation of projects for the prevention of perinatal death and improvement of care quality and social awareness and promotion of protocol and legislative changes.
If you are going through this situation right now and want to seek help from the Una Manita Association, you can do so through its website, its social networks or by participating in the annual event Day of Remembrance, which is held every year in Madrid to remind everyone those babies who left before their time.
Red ‘The hollow of my belly’
Created in 2013 , it is a network of solidarity to support families who have suffered a perinatal loss and the professionals who care for them.
The network is made up of midwives, mothers and psychologists who, in one way or another, have experienced the death or loss of young children, both during gestation and after birth.
In addition to support and advice, families who are going through this hard blow will find workshops, Days of Remembrance in tribute to deceased babies, or theoretical-practical courses on care and support in perinatal mourning in “El hollow de mi belly”.
You can contact them through their website or their Facebook page.
Association ‘Soul and Life’
This Association is made up of a group of parents who have experienced the loss of a child .
Families who come here will find other parents who are going through the same thing, group therapy, support and activities led by professionals who will help them through the most painful part of the grieving process, through free and non-denominational help.
Find all the information about it on the web.
‘Share’
‘Compartim’ was born with the aim of respecting perinatal mourning and giving it the treatment it deserves to live it in the best way.
This is a project launched by the Barcelona Fetal Medicine Foundation that offers free support to all those families who have suffered the loss of their baby during pregnancy .
Therapeutic support groups , led by a professional, meet outside the hospital setting in 90-minute sessions. In these sessions, families can share their experiences and emotions with other mothers and fathers who have also suffered the loss of a child.
You can contact them by phone (669 366 139) or by email at [email protected].
‘Your online support’
‘Your support in network’ is a community of accompaniment in the process of loss, and although it is not exclusive on perinatal grief , it does have a specific section on the emotional impact of losing a child before or after birth.
In this network you will find informative resources on loss, online psychological guidance, a space for reflection on the loss process and a private area where you can have direct communication with psychologists , as well as other documents and reference guides on the loss process.
You can get in touch with them through their website and their social channels.
‘Ania’ Association
Ania’s story is the story of all the lovingly awaited babies who die in the womb or shortly after birth. Ania has inspired this space for meeting and reflection , where family members and health professionals can talk about gestational grief, share experiences and promote respectful accompaniment of emotions.
On the web you will find yt (books, films, articles, documentaries, cemeteries…), articles about gestational mourning or testimonies from other mothers who have gone through the same thing and who will help you.
On their website you will find all the information in this regard.
Association ‘Empty Arms’
It is a support group for perinatal grief based in Asturias , created by mothers and fathers who have gone through the terrible experience of losing their baby during pregnancy, childbirth or after birth.
The group organizes face-to-face and virtual meetings, in addition to organizing events or publicizing initiatives that help bereaved families.
If you are from the area, on their Facebook page you will find all the information.
‘Nubesma’
‘Nubesma’ is the Gestational and Neonatal Mourning Support Association of Valencia , born in 2017.
Like so many others, Nubesma arises from the concern of a group of mothers and fathers who have experienced the loss of a baby, either during pregnancy or in the first months of life, and the deficiencies found at the medical, psychological, legal and social after going through this ordeal.
The fundamental objective of the Association is that families who find themselves in this difficult situation feel accompanied and understood. But they also carry out other activities, such as information and advice in hospitals and health centers, and social awareness events.
You can contact them through their website.
‘Color to Color’
Cor A Cor is a project that offers emotional support to those families who lose the baby they are expecting, while contributing to the visibility of perinatal death.
Behind this project is Noelia Sánchez, social worker, doula, Gestalt therapist and mother of a girl who was born dead in 2011, a fact that encouraged her to emotionally accompany families who were experiencing the same as her.
They offer individual therapy, group training, online or face-to-face, activities and workshops to heal grief, as well as other resources that will accompany you on this path.
If you want to contact them you can do it through their website.
‘The firefly with its own light’
This project was launched by a group of women who were initially united by motherhood, the challenges, the difficulties and also the joys of everyday life.
It aims to be a center of union to raise in tribe, and although it is not an exclusive group on grief and gestational and perinatal death, they do have a free grief support group that meets monthly in Marbella.
Here you can find all the information about it.
Association ‘Butterflies for grief’
It is a meeting and grief support group for families who have suffered gestational and/or perinatal losses. It is located in Parla, in the south of Madrid.
Offers virtual meetings, events, news, and other resources to help parents grieve the loss of a child. You can follow them on their Facebook page.
‘Matryoshka’
See this post on Instagram
‘Matrioskas’ is the name of the Andalusian Association for the Support of Perinatal Mourning . It was born in 2020 as a group made up of health professionals and families, with the aim of making gestational and perinatal grief visible.
Offers parent support groups and workshops for families and professionals. The goal is to create a tribe where people can express themselves freely and without taboos, and feel understood.
You can find more information on his YouTube channel or through his Instagram account.
‘Little ones with light’
It is a Barcelona non-profit association, made up of mothers, fathers and relatives who have suffered the loss of one or more children during pregnancy or after childbirth.
They organize mutual support groups formed by parents, parents or relatives who are going through a perinatal or neonatal grieving process. These groups are led by a facilitator who moderates the meeting and who has gone through this same grieving process.
But in addition to mutual support groups, the association also offers resources and organizes events in support of bereaved families.
You can read all the information about it on their website.
‘It was in April’ Foundation
Behind this project is Jessica Ruidiaz, an Argentine mother who lost her baby in 2007 when he was only two months old. Since then he decided to focus all his efforts on helping other families who were going through the same situation.
This is how ‘Era en Abril’ was born, the first organization in Latin America to provide support to parents of deceased babies .
If you want to contact them you can do it through their website or social channels.
Latin Network of Perinatal and Child Gestational Grief
It is a network made up of groups, organizations, family associations and networks of professionals from Argentina and throughout Latin America, with representation in all Latin American countries.
This association was created by MarÃa Andrea GarcÃa Medina, mother and health professional specializing in mental and perinatal health.
On its website you can find information about congresses, workshops, courses and a help desk, both online and in person.
‘Reluctantly’
‘A Contracor’ was born with the aim of giving visibility to gestational losses due to legal or voluntary interruption of pregnancy , those that occur for medical, personal or social reasons.
These women sometimes suffer the weight of social taboo, stigma, misunderstanding and disavowal of their mourning, because people believe that if it was a voluntary decision they should not feel affected.
If you find yourself in this situation, in ‘A contracor’ you will find a group of committed mothers who will accompany you, guide you and offer their help to navigate your mourning.
Cover photo | istock
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