University Hospital

Perinatal Bereavement Program

How We Began

Perinatal Bereavement at the University Hospital began as a response from nurses who saw a need not being met in the support and care of families who had lost a baby and mobilized their co-workers to meet this need.  It began small and has continued to grow as more and more people, businesses, service organizations and the hospital itself saw the need for more compassionate care at such a critical time and wanted to help. 

Having a baby is most often a joyous event and parents bond with their babies from the time they discover the pregnancy.  Sometimes the outcome of the pregnancy is not the anticipated, hoped-for-joyous event, but instead a very sad, emotional, trying time that requires lots of love and support.  Everyone at the University Hospital works together – from housekeeping, to nutrition, to social work and pastoral care, to all levels of health care providers – to see that the needs of the family are met physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially and financially, to make a difficult experience just a little easier.

Families experiencing Perinatal loss that come through our Women’s and Children’s Units with their deliveries will find trained, caring and supportive staff ready to help them adjust and deal with the unexpected outcome of this pregnancy.