Pregnancy & Infant Loss
To the parents who have experienced loss,
This is an experience few are ever prepared for. We want to provide you with information to help you find the support you need. We have compiled a list of resources to connect you with organizations that are dedicated to supporting those who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss.
We hope this eases the burden of walking this difficult road.
“…in the mystery of the universe, we still inhabit that universe together and are tied together in a love that cannot come untied.”
– Martha Whitmore Hickman, Healing After Loss
Spending time with your baby may help with the grieving process. Take your time to create memories and get to know your baby. You may spend as much or as little time with your baby as you feel you need.
Our staff will bathe and dress your baby, and collect hand and foot impressions when possible. You or your family members are encouraged and welcomed to participate in this process.
We can provide you with a CuddleCot, a specialized cooling pad that fits into your baby’s bassinet. The CuddleCot maintains an ideal temperature, allowing you to spend more time as a family. You may hold your baby in your arms as often as you want.
We also offer the Water Method if your baby is delivered early in your pregnancy. This method protects your baby’s fragile skin, while allowing you to see their features more clearly as you hold them. This also provides a unique opportunity to capture photographs of your time together.
Learn more about the Water Method
** links include photographs of infant loss**
You may find it beneficial to collect keepsakes of the time you spend with your baby. If you are anticipating a loss we encourage you to take photographs to document the time you spend together.
Remembrance photography for parents suffering the loss of a baby. You may submit images for professional retouching or request a portrait session with a volunteer photographer.
A non-profit organization that creates personalized, weighted bears for bereaved families.
Making farewell arrangements can be a difficult and complicated process when we lose a loved one of any age. These resources will help you navigate this process so you understand your options.
Seeks to compassionately lift a financial burden from families who have lost a child by providing funds to assist with the cost of burial or cremation services.
Under Angel’s Wing was founded in Yakima County. The purpose of this fund is to remove the financial stress often associated with the death of young children by assisting with financial expenses such as burial or cremation arrangements, cemetery and grave marker expenses, and other needs that individual families may have.
Brookeside Funeral Home & Crematory / Ellensburg, WA
Steward & Williams Funeral Home and Crematory / Ellensburg, WA
After a baby dies a woman’s body will still undergo the normal changes that occur postpartum, often including lactation. This may occur as early as 16 weeks gestation. Some mothers want to suppress lactation, while others find it therapeutic to pump and donate their breastmilk as part of their baby’s legacy.
The 4th Trimester Resource Center works in coordination with care providers and community partners in service of families. If you need support, a referral, or even just someone to listen, we are here for you.
4th Trimester Resource Center
Blog post to share with your support network. Empty Arms is a non-profit providing support to individuals and families that experience grief and bereavement due to the loss of a child during pregnancy and beyond.
Experiencing the loss of a pregnancy, infant, or child brings unimaginable pain and grief, and can make you feel alone and lost. PSI provides non-judgmental support, information, and connection with others.
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.
Perinatal loss can happen to anyone and you are not alone. Perinatal Support Washington provides information, resources, and support.
No matter how deep your grief and how great your pain, remember that you are not alone. First Candle, along with others who have traveled this road before you, are here to help you through the difficult time following the death of your baby.