Pregnancy and Baby Loss Resource: The Star Legacy Foundation
Pregnancy loss, baby loss, and infant death are the most heartbreaking experiences for any parent to go through. Sadly, the loss of a child is not uncommon, and many parents struggle to cope with the emotional toll.
Besides finding a therapist to help them with the grief, parents can also get support from certain organizations that help with the healing after such tragedies. One is the Star Legacy Foundation.
The Star Legacy Foundation is a non-profit group dedicated to improving the care for families that experience pregnancy loss or infant death.
Through its 20 chapters across the United States, Star Legacy works to increase awareness, support research, and encourage family support for pregnancy loss and neonatal death.
Star Legacy provides patient education materials to health care organizations to help expectant families understand the risks of pregnancy and how to manage or reduce those risks. They also host The Stillbirth Summit that brings together researchers, health professionals, and bereaved families to learn about emerging evidence in stillbirth prevention and care.
Star Legacy is involved with research for stillbirth prevention through their Pregnancy Research Project. They also offer a database of current research focused on pregnancy loss prevention and resources for health professionals.
They help bereaved parents through their support line which is staffed by grief counselors. Bereaved parents can also be matched with peer companions who have experienced similar losses.
Star Legacy also provides many live online grief support groups for parents and grandparents. Their support groups help to provide emotional support, validation, and education about the grief associated with pregnancy or infant loss. Each group is led by a trained facilitator and offers a safe environment for the sharing of feelings and grief stories.
Their groups also help decrease the feelings of isolation and give you the opportunity to build connections other bereaved parents. Facilitators help with learning new coping skills, relaxation techniques, stress management skills, and daily survival skills.
You may not be sure which group is right for you or you may not be ready to share your experience in a group setting.
You are not alone.
These are some of the virtual support groups Star Legacy offers:
Bereaved Parents Group
This support group meets the 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month and the 2nd & 4th Thursdays.
Grupo De Padres En Duelo
This monthly support group is for Spanish-speaking bereaved parents.
Pregnancy After Loss Group
This virtual support group meets weekly.
Dad’s Grief Discussion Group
This virtual support group meets monthly.
Grandparents Group
This virtual support group meets monthly.
Parenting After Loss Group
This virtual support group meets monthly.
Coping with SUID / SIDS & Infant Death Group
This virtual support group meets monthly.
All of their groups are free to attend and registration is only required once for each group.
Click here to learn more about the Star Legacy Foundation.
If you are feeling like these groups are not right for you or you are not ready to share your experience in a group setting, you are not alone.