SHARE Atlanta Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Grief Support

SHARE Atlanta Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Grief Support Share Logo

Our losses are real...

Here are some statistics to support
our need for continued emotional outreach to parents
and increased attention to vaious avenues of prevention
before and during a pregnancy.

SHARE Atlanta..
..discovering how to help others
help themselves
to heal.

Some statistics ~ to remember and to work to change….

There are 4.4 million confirmed pregnancies, in the United States, a year....

...WITH...

...900,000 - total pregnancy losses each year

...more than 1/2 million end in miscarriage. (An estimated 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage - some doctors associated with March of Dimes state 50% of pregnancies end in miscarriage.)

...26,000 end in stillbirth.

...19,000 end in infant death during the first month.

...39,000 end in infant death during the 1st year.

...1,000s more wanted pregnancies are interrupted after problems are detected.

...460,000 babies in the U.S. are born too soon every year, some so small they must fight to survive.

...900,000 - total pregnancy losses each year

These estimates are based on statistics derived from a combination of March of Dimes statistical information and Last study done by Allen Wilcox, MD, New England Journal of Medicine, July 28, 1998

There is little national data because few birth and death certificates are issued for miscarriages and stillbirths.(Therefore record keeping is poor.) Though cause of death is better defined and prevention is increasing, 50% of stillbirth losses are of an undetermined cause. Better statistics and more research are needed.

What does a community aligned with statistics mean for the bereaved, their family and friends?

It means that others have experienced a similar kind of loss, survived and, in various ways, are supporting the issues and the people who will come to identify with the community. This is being accomplished by increasing the resources, materials, support facilities, and medical awareness for those who are a part of the PLC (Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Community).

Within a community we are not “alone”.

Today, we are more clearly recognized as a community with defined issues and concerns, and we are no longer struggling for each breathe. While a community has been defined, our actual “working numbers” are still small. Those individuals who are a part of the PLC because of a loss should consider what measures they can lend to the PLC to continue the growth in a positive direction. Together we can be better heard and more quickly understood.

Activities to change our situation

Support parent-to-parent support groups - We continue to heal as we help each other.

Julie, one of our members wrote to us: "I believe everyone here (at the group) would have made it. The real question is-who would we be now if we didn't have SHARE Atlanta. I know for a fact that I would be a very different person, and I'm glad I'm where I am and not in that other place."

Give ourselves "permission to grieve" and to "remember our special babies."

Make our child's life a positive presence in our own life by doing something meaningful in his or her memory

Tell others (parents, family, friends, medical professionals and caretakers) about emotional healing and about methods of prevention of birth defects and care during difficult pregnancies. Don't assume that they "are aware" of all of the issues. Many are, but most need more input. This website has lists of medical and emotional support groups.

March for March of Dimes (MODs) and support the CDC's efforts to eliminate birth defects and difficult pregnancies and NIH's move to stop stillbirths. (click on hearts for our MOD's Menu)

A nationally run newspaper article (with SHARE Atlanta parents) to support the need for broader outreach and understanding

The Compassionate Friend's Survey-"When a Child Dies" (important info. & statistics!)

Stopping the Loss: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Menu