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SUPPORT BOOKLETS

When a baby dies the emotions and experiences you will feel may be different from your partner’s. The experience is different again for other family members. The National Charity SANDS have leaflets with information and support especially for mothers, fathers, children, grandparents and other family members and friends, aswell as colleagues and employers.

Returning to work after the death of your baby

National Charity Sands booklet ‘Returning to work after the death of your baby’ includes information on rights and benefits, advice on telling colleagues and techniques for managing emotions.

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For Family and Friends

National Charity Sands Booklet ‘For family and friends’ has been written for family members, friends and colleagues who are affected when a baby dies before, during or after birth.

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Supporting children when a baby has died

Sands new booklet ‘Supporting children when a baby has died’ has been written primarily for the parents of children whose baby brother or sister has died at, or around the time of birth. However, the advice and information it contains is also helpful for supporting other children affected by the death of a baby, such as cousins, friends, surviving children of a multiple birth and children born after a baby has died.

Co-author, Judith Schott, says: ‘The death of a baby during of shortly after birth is a major bereavement for the whole family. It has a deep and long term impact on every member.

‘As parents our instinct is to protect our children and telling them that their eagerly awaited baby brother or sister has died, or is going to die, seems unimaginably cruel. It is something that no parent wants to do but sadly for some parents they have no choice. Not knowing what or how much to tell children and being unsure of how much to involve them in the short and long term, can add to the burden. Our new booklet helps parents with essential advice on how to talk about the death of a baby and support children through the sadness.’

Supporting children when a baby has died covers a range to helpful topics including: telling children, dealing with reactions and answering questions, maintaining routines, managing your own feelings and the longer term. It focuses mainly on the needs of younger children but also includes information about older children and teenagers.

The booklet contains information applicable to all sorts of different types of family and includes specific advice on supporting surviving children of a multiple birth and children born after a baby has died.

The thoughts of bereaved parents are also included in the booklet.

The new forty-page booklet replaces SANDS shorter leaflet ‘About the other children’. It has been written with the help of bereaved parents and SANDS are very grateful to everyone who has contributed.

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Saying goodbye to your baby

This booklet for parents was first published by the National Charity, SANDS in the 1980s. It has now been updated and re-written, drawing on the experiences and insights of parents who have themselves lost one or more babies.

The booklet covers everything that newly bereaved parents are likely to find useful in the first few days and in the longer term, and deals both with emotions and with practical matters.

Family members, friends and health professionals will also find this booklet useful in understanding parents’ experiences and the issues that are likely to be important to them.

The Lily Mae Foundation would recommend this booklet to any family members, friends and health professionals following the loss of a baby.

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When a baby dies before labour begins

The National Charity SANDS have recently published a new support booklet, When a baby dies before labour begins. It has been written specifically for parents who have just been told that their baby has died. It covers all the things that they may want to know during the time between receiving this terrible news to the start of labour.

This booklet is a fantastic guide for parents who are waiting for an induction or for labour to start spontaneously. It covers essential topics such as; how the parents are likely to feel, their choices about the labour and its management, information on pain relief during labour and what to expect when their baby is born.

The Lily Mae Foundation shares SANDS belief that it is stocked by maternity units, the ultrasound department and in the fetal assessment units in all hospitals.

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Mainly for Fathers

On Thursday 14th June 2012 the National Charity SANDS launched a new support booklet, Mainly for Fathers, which has been written specifically for fathers whose baby has died at or around the time of birth. The booklet aims to help dads both emotionally and practically in the difficult days and months following the death of their baby. The guide covers essential topics such as: the physical and emotional manifestations of grief, telling siblings, family and friends the tragic news, how to create memories of you and your baby and finding support. The booklet also provides practical advice on many important areas such as: how to register a birth or stillbirth, legal rights and financial benefits, returning to work and the reactions of others.

The Lily Mae Foundation believes that this support booklet is stocked by maternity units, the ultrasound department and in the fetal assessment units in all hospitals.

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Information and support for Grandparents: When a Grandchild dies before, during or shortly after birth

Grandparents can be overlooked when a baby dies and their grief is often compounded with their inability to relieve the grief of their child. A new much-needed booklet by National Charity SANDS, Information and support for grandparents: When a grandchild dies before, during or shortly after birth provides emotional and practical guidance on how to cope with the following days, weeks and even years.

Compiled with the invaluable help of other bereaved grandparents, SANDS booklet includes information about what they might expect to happen next, how the parents might be feeling, as well as the importance of grandparents finding support for themselves. It covers essential topics such as: how to deal with the reactions of others, creating mementoes and keepsakes of the baby, and the funeral.

SANDS new booklet aims to answer questions grandparents may have but may be afraid to ask. It also aims to provide them with ways to help the wider family, supporting other children or dealing with the possibility of other family pregnancies and births.

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