Perinatal Loss – Resources

Perinatal loss occurs in one out of four pregnancies. Many families struggle with miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss and infertility. The path to creating a healthy family is not a simple one and the loss of a child is profound.

This page seeks to gather resources for families struggling with infertility and pregnancy and infant loss.  It provides links to organizations that support families with loss, support groups, books on infertility and pregnancy and infant loss, prayers and rituals and other support materials.

Our work began with the 2023 First Jewish Perinatal Loss Summit which the National Bikur Cholim Conference cosponsored with I Was Supposed to Have a Baby.  The conference had over 200 attendees and there were presentations on

Grappling with Loss – The Personal Stories

Time Does Not Heal All Wounds: The Wisdom of Grieving Perinatal Loss

Rituals and Prayers to Deal with the Spiritual and Emotional Challenges

Here are the sessions of our 2023 conference.
https://iwassupposedtohaveababy.org/perinatal-loss

There was an earlier conference on the Jewish Response to Perinatal Loss sponsored by the National Center for Jewish Healing in 2010.  Here are a set of articles from that conference:

A Loss Worthy of Grief, a set of articles from the National Center for Jewish Healing (2010)

Our goal is to continue to provide resources to help support families in this challenging journey.  Feel free to contact us for any kind of assistance.

Support Including Support Groups

A. I Was Supposed to Have a Baby provides hope, closure, and empathy to a community that includes over 23,000 individuals and couples annually on their fertility journey. We leverage social platforms (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) to support all Jewish individuals and families struggling to have a child by providing a warm, nurturing space and facilitating connections to resources. We are able to offer a high-tech, cost-efficient way of reaching thousands of people through support groups, podcasts, virtual events, and countless resources. IWSTHAB is changing how the Jewish community engages in meaningful conversations about fertility and fertility-related suffering.

B. NechamaComfort is a global organization dedicated to helping all Jewish families who experience pregnancy infant loss at any time. NechamaComfort’s services include Individual counseling with  trained case managers and weekly support groups.Including monthly men’s group and Pregnancy after loss group.  Its services are free of charge. It also provides education and training to Medical professionals,clergy and Jewish communities.

C. National Council of Jewish Women New York, Pregnancy Loss Support Program
(providing support by professionally trained peer counselors who have also experienced perinatal loss; plus support groups and annual programs open to the public)

D. Our Love Continues  (Facebook group for families that have suffered perinatal loss) 

E. Knafayim (support for families suffering pregnancy loss, baby loss and reproductive trauma)           

F. ATime (support for families dealing with fertility issues)

G. Uprooted (providing education, healing and support on fertility issues)

H. Hasidah (support resources and provides financial assistance for IVF)

I. The Compassionate Friends (general group for families suffering loss of a child)

J. PALS – Pregnancy After Loss Support (support groups and other resources for assisting pregnant women after loss)

2. BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND RESOURCES

Support for Families – A Jewish Approach

3. JEWISH PRAYERS/RITUALS FOR INFANT LOSS

5. GENERAL BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON INFANT LOSS

6. CHILDREN’S BOOKS ABOUT LOSS

7. PREGNANCY AFTER LOSS RESOURCES