This miscarriage outreach ministry is consecrated and dedicated to the One Almighty God.

ACTS OF KINDNESS

For Friends and Families Concerning the Grieving Process of a loss of a Child from a Miscarriage

Say "I'm sorry for your loss."
Listen to the parents.
Cry with the parents.
Comfort the parents.
Say prayers.
Give hugs.
Send cards.
Bring meals into the homes.
Write words or notes of encouragement.
Give flowers.
Encourage time off work.
Support the father and mother.
Offer to help.
Offer to babysit the siblings whenever they need help.
Give monetarily for the parents' needs and wants (committal service, naming service, memorials, Christian burial, or funeral service).

"I'm sorry for your loss."
Say prayers.
Listen, comfort and cry with the parents.
Give monetarily for the parents' needs and wants (committal service, naming service, memorials, Christian burial, or funeral service).
Offer to provide babysitting for the siblings whenever they need help.
Give hugs.
Give cards.
Bring meals into the homes.
Write words or notes of encouragement.
Give flowers.

Parents have the right to the baby's body after a miscarriage.
Parents have a choice (most of the time) if they want the body to go to a lab for pathology purposes.
Parents have a choice if they want the baby to have DNA testing.
Parents have a choice concerning committal of their child's body: the hospital's cemetery plot or the local cemetery.
Parents have the choice to bless their dead baby with holy water. This is not the sacrament of baptism.
Parents have a right to hold their dead child.
Parents have the right to name their dead baby.
Parents have the choice to plan an unbaptized child's funeral or memorial service at the local church. It is a myth that a funeral is expensive for a baby.
Parents have the right to pick the most respectful funeral home for their child's services.
Parents have the right to grieve and mourn the death of their child.

Parents should be prepared for unintentionally hurtful comments, including the following: Something was wrong or defective with "it" (the baby). Well it might have been deformed or had special needs. At least you have a child. You must have enough children. You can try again. You are young. No time like tomorrow to try again. At least it was early. How many weeks along were you?
Parents may experience that people say nothing because they don't know what to say.
Parents need not hesitate to tell people their story. When your story is told others will hear and open up and share their stories.
Parents should not be afraid to tell people that they are tired, or need a little quiet time.
Parents have the choice to tell immediate family members of their loss, or to invite them to the child's memorial service.

Say "I'm sorry for your loss."
Some patients have religious or personal beliefs that the "it" or "tissue" is a baby that they have just lost to the miscarriage. Please be sensitive to their needs.
Give information on what to expect from the miscarriage experience.
Give choices to the parents on funeral and burial rites. The hospital mass burial service is healing yet other choices are available.
Please do not say, "At least you can get pregnant."
Recognize that some parents are in the beginning stages of the mourning process.
Let the parents see and hold the baby if that is their request.
Please do not say, "There is no need for a D&C. Your womb is empty."
Please do not say, "At least it happened this early."
Please do not say, "We will send the tissue to lab."