Neonatal Death/Fatal Fetal Diagnosis

When a baby dies in the first 28 days of life, it is technically called a neonatal death.

I personally find technical timeframes like this to be arbitrary in our emotional interpretation of our experiences, and I hardly think the term addresses the enormous amount of feeling we may have. We do at stillbirthday provide support for every technical name, medical label, and timeframe category of parental bereavement, including all of the many names for pregnancy loss, neonatal death, older infancy, and toddlers to teens. Just visit here to learn more.

Some parents know ahead of time that their preborn baby may have a condition “not compatible with life” after birth. While these parents may in some ways prepare for the birth of their baby and try to anticipate the very short time they may have with their baby, the experiences are heartwrenching, agonizing and painful.

For these parents, already having a personalized birth plan may help support them through the process.

Still other parents go on to deliver a healthy child, and without any notice or warning whatsoever, the child dies.

In either case, this website offers a number of supportive services:

information regarding the process from realization to farewell celebration (including a customized birth plan for no or short expectancy of life, and another to serve families when given extra time, and additional resources for various diagnoses). The PROCESS link is extremely valuable.
statistics
information for friends and family on how to best support you
professionals and volunteers to support you
local, national, and international long-term support services and resources including books
farewell celebration ideas
a place to share your story
a place to read a story or two from other parents and see their babies photos
please visit our Love Cupboard for newborn clothing support which may prove useful when given extra time

Rate this post

0 0 votes

Article Rating

BIRTH & BEREAVEMENT QUOTES

« ‹ 14 of 16 › »

She was a genius of sadness, immersing herself in it, separating its numerous strands, appreciating its subtle nuances. She was a prism through which sadness could be divided into its infinite spectrum.

— Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything Is Illuminated

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.

— C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

I am strong.

— January, founder of Birth Without Fear

When someone you love dies, and you’re not expecting it, you don’t lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time—the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers. Gradually, you accumulate the parts of her that are gone. Just when the day comes—when there’s a particular missing part that overwhelms you with the feeling that she’s gone, forever—there comes another day, and another specifically missing part.

— John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany

They say time heals all wounds, but that presumes the source of the grief is finite.

— Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince

« ‹ 14 of 16 › »

BECOME A DOULA!

Enroll now in the Birth & Bereavement Doula® program!

We onboard enrolled students into the program by email invitation.

After tuition, you can email heidi.faith@stillbirthday.com directly to expedite this step. Alternatively, if you prefer fb communications, you can join us in Admissions.