"The hospital holds a special place in my heart. In addition, we spent almost a week in L&D waiting for our daughter's dramatic preterm arrival. The NICU is where my daughter lived her entire life earth-side. It is where I held her hello and rocked her goodbye. The nurses and neonatologists are some of the kindest people I have ever met on earth. We would never have been able to meet our daughter without them. The nurses took every photo we have of her. NICU, PICU, and L&D nurses and doctors deserve so much love and support for braving through these tough times with us." -Ally, Gemma's mom

Providing resources and learning materials for these doctors, nurses, admin, and staff is so critically important for helping parents when they lose a child. These front-line workers are not just caring for moms and their babies, but they are also trying to balance the intense emotions of that family (and their own, and the emotions of their next patient). They see birth and death in the same day - sometimes just minutes apart from one another. If you know someone that works in the NICU or Labor & Delivery, give them a Daisy award, a hug, a coffee, and a special thank you for their incredibly big hearts.

Book Recommendations

• "Perinatal Bereavement Rituals and Practices Among U. S. Cultural Groups"

• "Handbook of Perinatal and Neonatal Palliative Care: A Guide for Nurses, Physicians, and Other Health Professionals"
• "Perinatal and Pediatric Bereavement in Nursing and Other Health Professions"
• "Perinatal Loss: A Handbook for Working with Women and Their Families"
• "Perinatal Bereavement for Birth Professionals: A Handbook for Supporting Families in Unexpected Outcomes"
• "Empty Arms: Coping With Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Death" (other important books by the same author)
• "Our Only Time: Stories of Pregnancy/Infant Loss with Strategies for Health Professionals" by Amie Lands

Free eBooks & Audiobooks

Many local libraries have partnerships with Hoopla and Libby to offer free audiobooks and ebooks. This is a fantastic way to absorb great information for free from the comfort of home. All you have to do is download the apps and sign in using your library card. Each library system is different in the types of books and formats they offer.

CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG COUNTY RESIDENTS (CMLibrary): The below books are avilable to you and highly recommended. There are also physical copies of many of these books in the library system thanks to one of our donations to CMLibrary's collection.

Books Available with CMLibrary on Hoopla