Pregnancy Loss
Lucinda’s House was created to address the racial disparities in maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. Through Dr. Canty's research, she found that pregnancy loss was an area where racial disparities exist. Not only in health outcomes, but also in the care and support one receives after a loss. The resources listed are to educate, support, and heal. After a pregnancy loss you need to heal physically and mentally. It is important to take care of both.
Every pregnancy is meaningful and every loss deserves compassion. Regardless of how far along a pregnancy was or how it ended, the experience can have a profound impact on the individual and their family. We encourage everyone to respond with empathy, kindness, and understanding rather than judgment. By listening, acknowledging their grief, and offering support, we can help create safe spaces for healing, remembrance, and hope.
While the term pregnancy loss is commonly used, perinatal loss is a broader and more accurate term. Perinatal loss refers to the loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death during the first 28 days after birth.
Common Terms
Miscarriage - loss of a baby before 20 weeks gestation (4 months)
Ectopic pregnancy - pregnancy that happens outside the uterus.
Stillbirth - loss of a baby after 20 week gestation (4 months)
Neonatal death - death of a newborn within the first 28 days
Infant death - death that occurs within the first year.
For Partners, Family Members, and Friends
The loss of a baby can be a deeply painful experience, regardless of when it occurs during pregnancy. Whether the loss happens early in pregnancy or close to birth, every person and family will experience grief in their own way.
One of the most meaningful things you can offer is your presence, compassion, and support. Listen without judgment, allow them to share their feelings and experiences, and recognize that everyone grieves differently. There may be moments when they want to talk and moments when they need silence. Both are okay.
Healing takes time. By offering patience, understanding, and a safe space to grieve, you can help support them through their journey of loss and healing.
More than 50% of postpartum depression in Black women go unreported.
Maternal mental health (MMH) conditions, referred to Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs), are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth. PMADs affects 1 in 7 women during pregnancy or postpartum and 1 in 3 black women.
When PMADs go untreated, there can be long-term negative impacts on parents, baby, family, and the community.
Mental health is essential for a person's overall health. It’s ok to talk to someone and let them know that you’re not ok. It’s the first step in starting to feel better.
Mischa Hadaway LCSW, CD(DONA)
Gentle Mama Counseling
Pregnancy is usually a time of excitement and expectation as parents prepare for the arrival of their baby. Tragically, approximately 1 in 4 women in the United States suffers a miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss. Black mothers are more than twice as likely to experience all types of pregnancy loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, and infant death, more often than white women. In addition to their babies being at increased risk of adverse outcomes, Black mothers themselves are three to four times more likely than white mothers to die of
pregnancy-related complications. The loss of a child is a traumatic and heartbreaking. You are not alone.
Aisha McClary
With a Purpose CT
Miracle 8 Foundation
Miracle 8 Foundation is a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families affected by pregnancy loss, infant loss, prematurity, and NICU experiences. Founded in memory of Miracle Malaya, who was born prematurely and lived for eight precious days, the organization was created to transform grief into action by providing comfort, resources, education, and compassionate support to families navigating similar journeys. Through community programs, support groups, advocacy, and direct assistance, Miracle 8 Foundation honors the lives of babies gone too soon while helping families find hope, healing, and connection.
Yellow Butterfly Box: Hope After Miscarriage
Yellow Butterfly Box was created for women who have experienced loss as a reminder “YOU ARE LOVED”. Yellow Butterfly Box is the fruit of hope deferred. The box contains a mug to keep women hydrated, a journal and pen to write down thoughts when words don't come easy, a candle to burn bright and provide a sweet aroma, two pieces of chocolate as a special treat, an eye mask to help with puffiness and warm fuzzy socks to provide comfort. Yellow Butterfly is working to build a community and safe space for women that have experienced loss.
The following information was developed by Marielis Sanabria-Rivera, nursing student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Books
I Had a Miscarriage: A Memoir, a Movement by Jessica Zucker
Author Jessica Zucker shares her own experience of having a miscarriage in hopes that other women know that they are not alone. This memoir shows that there is no way to grieve a miscarriage, and everyone will experience different emotions. She created the #IHadAMiscarriage campaign to end the silence around pregnancy loss.
Coping With Infertility, Miscarriage, and Neonatal Loss by Amy Wenzel, PhD
This book provides guidance and cognitive behavioral techniques to cope with pregnancy loss and infertility. Amy Wenzel discusses ways of commemorating your child and interacting with family, friends, and colleagues after pregnancy loss. She also provides different self-care practices and mindfulness techniques.
Hard to Bear: Investigating the Science and Silence of Miscarriage by Isabelle Oderberg
Every five minutes, someone in Australia experiences a miscarriage. Hard to Bear combines personal stories, with in-depth investigative journalism to help us understand how the system is letting women down, and what we can do to change it.
The Brink of Being by Julia Bueno
Julia Bueno shares her own experience with miscarriage and the stories of other women who experienced pregnancy loss. This well researched novel provides a resource for anyone who hopes to better understand miscarriage.
Grief Unseen: Healing Pregnancy Loss Through The Arts by Laura Seftel
Laura Seftel describes how to heal through the arts, and how the arts allowed her to express her emotions during her own miscarriage. She shares stories of grief through poetry and artwork and guides others to express and share their grief through artistic expression.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Groups
The titles below are linked—click any title to learn more.
Local Support Group
Baby Steps Bereavement Support Group provides a compassionate space for families grieving the loss of a pregnancy or infant. The group is facilitated by parents with lived experience and meets on the first Tuesday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Hartford, Connecticut.
For more information, contact 860-982-2516 or visit the Macie Grace Foundation website.
Virtual Support Group
Hope After Loss offers virtual support groups for parents who have experienced pregnancy loss, infant loss, or neonatal loss. These online gatherings provide a safe and supportive environment to connect with others who understand the grief and challenges that accompany loss.
Information about bi-weekly support group meetings, including Zoom access details, can be found on the Hope After Loss website and Facebook page.
Social Media & Online Support
Pregnancy After Loss Support offers resources for individuals navigating pregnancy after the loss of a previous pregnancy. Their Pregnancy After Loss app provides emotional support, coping tools, educational resources, and pregnancy tracking features designed specifically for those experiencing a pregnancy after loss.
The organization also connects families to online communities, including Facebook support groups, where individuals can share experiences, find encouragement, and connect with others who understand the unique challenges of pregnancy after loss.
Websites
Sisters in Loss has a range of resources including support group information and a podcast. The podcast discusses infant loss, infertility, and miscarriage. She also has an instagram account, sistersinloss, which provides resources for healing after loss, and information about support groups.
Self-Care After Pregnancy Loss By CCRM Colorado counselor Angie Fouts-Hyatt.
Miscarriage The causes and symptoms of miscarriage by Mayo Clinic.
Five Healing Strategies After a Pregnancy Loss By Gabrielle Mowry.
Tommy's Information on Pregnancy Loss, Statistics, and support services.
Emotional Healing After a Miscarriage: A Guide for Women, Partners, Family, and Friends. By Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies.
Supporting someone who has had a miscarriage by Tommy’s.
Bereavement Doula
What Is a Bereavement Doula? By Kimberlee Leonard.
A Bereavement Doula provides help during the grieving process during stillbirth and pregnancy loss. A Bereavement Doula can be present during delivery and other times throughout pregnancy. They can provide words of comfort and act as an additional support system.
Additional Resources
The titles below are linked—click any title to learn more.
Black Angel Mom Guided Journal by Jeanae M. Hopgood-Jones
This compassionate guided journal offers support for individuals navigating pregnancy loss through reflective journal prompts, activities, and healing exercises designed to help process grief and honor their experience.
"Ain't I Still A Mother Too?" by Rhonda M.
A powerful and heartfelt poem that validates the experiences of mothers who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss. Read the poem here.
Miscarriage Association Pamphlets
The Miscarriage Association provides a variety of informative pamphlets covering miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and molar pregnancy. These resources also offer guidance on coping with the emotional impact of pregnancy loss, communicating with family and friends, and finding support throughout the grieving process.
