Did you feel alone?
After a pregnancy or newborn loss parents feel as all bereaved feel—confused and isolated. Often they are told that “their kind of loss” is unique and the chances of it happening again are slim. Or they are told that they will have to seek genetic counseling before getting pregnant again. Whatever the circumstances, the parents still feel hand picked for a disaster that they have rarely heard of and don’t understand. This usually comes at a time when all of their friends are having living babies and growing families. Tied with societies spoken message to move –on after a brief, if any, mourning period, parents are often shocked when they come to a SHARE Atlanta meeting and see others—like themselves! Everyone shares a similar story and all feel alone and isolated in their plight.
The Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Community (PNLC)
After almost 25 years of support groups for healing parents’ emotional health and the gathering of statistics and death details, a Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Community has been identified. Groups such as SHARE, HAND, Empty Arms, etc., largely composed of concerned bereaved parents and nurses, have heightened the emphasis on the emotional and medical issues that have been exposed and discussed within their groups.
Today, doctors and large teaching hospitals are focusing on some of the major causes of loss (Wisconsin Stillbirth Program, Dr. Collins/Cord Accidents), and medically oriented support groups have formed (Group B Strep (GBS) Association, The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Advocacy, and Support, etc.) This is the good news. We are no longer an unidentified entity, and we are not alone in our quest for answers to our losses or support in our emotional issues.
Some statistics:
These estimates are based on statistics derived from a combination of March of Dimes statistical information and a study done by Allen Wilcox, MD, New England Journal of Medicine, July 28, 1998.
What does a community aligned with statistics mean for the bereaved, there 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 PNLC.
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 PNLC because of a loss should consider what measure they can lend to the PNLC in order to continue this growth in a positive direction.
"Thank you for all of your support! I couldn't have done it without SHARE Atlanta!" -Lauren W., announcing the birth of her daughter
Volunteers, healed and healing bereaved parents, are part of the PNLC.
Our community is unique in that most of those who loose their baby usually go on to have living children and a growing family. This is a blessed fact to those who have struggled to cope with their loss. We understand that a parents’ energies should be directed into providing for the family. We also appreciate that revisiting - for any reason - a very painful place in your life is difficult. But, please remember how you felt as you learned of your loss baby, sort support and then first understood that you were not alone. Most importantly, remember how you felt when you realized that you had survived this experience and a level of peace was returning. You finally knew that you could start to plan your subsequent baby or to make new choices for your life.
Volunteering with SHARE Atlanta
SHARE Atlanta asks for one or two year’s time commitment for most positions. Though there are some shorter term projects. We do understand that family needs may make it impossible to fulfill a term, and we will find a replacement. As far as emotional input, many of the positions do not require any or limited parent interaction. Please consider opening yourself to providing for others so that they, too, may find what healing means—within a parent-led support group.
No one needs to feel alone.
Our special babies would ask us to make their life meaningful. There are many ways to do this. One way would be to support the PNLC in some way. Please consider helping so fewer bereaved parents will feel alone.
From our website: www.shareatlanta.org- SHARE Atlanta Information: Volunteers:
Many parents have volunteered through the years. Some have stayed for less than a year while others stay for more than five or ten. Everyone has helped us give the gift of support to those who come to our doors. We thank each one of these people for their personal outreach to the Pregnancy and Newborn Loss Community.
Mission Statement
To provide a support system for bereaved parents who have suffered a pregnancy or newborn loss. Our primary focus will be on parental issues following such a loss so healing can occur. We will include an outreach program for parents, their family, friends and caregivers.
Typical Goals Achieved by SHARE Atlanta Volunteers
Goals for the Parent & Their Support System
For the parent to realize that Grief:For the parent to realize that Grief Work can lead to:
We always remember: "Our babies are special and so are we. Our babies will be..” Forever in our Hearts"
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."
General Requirements:
Work Environment:
Goals of a volunteer:
Length of Commitment:
General Volunteer:
Donations and Volunteering for SA
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