Infant Mortality and Pregnancy Loss

Here you will find links to care, services, and support and websites for families about pregnancy loss, losing a baby, and grief.

Care, Services, and Support

Compassionate Friends: Grief Support After the Death of a Child. Support via online support groups and local chapters to bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings who have experienced pregnancy loss or the death of a child.
First Candle. A nationwide, 24-hour, toll-free hotline for expectant and new parents on ways to help their babies survive and thrive, for parents who have experienced a pregnancy loss or the death of a baby, and for professionals working with families. Telephone: (800) 221-7437.
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Hotline. A hotline number to help pregnant women and mothers with newborns identify free or low-cost services for themselves and their babies. Telephone: (800) 311-2229 (311-BABY); (800) 504-7081 (Spanish).
Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc: Find a Support Group. Contact information for support groups in most states for grieving families.

Pregnancy Loss

March of Dimes (MOD): Pregnancy and Newborn Loss. Information about ectopic and molar pregnancy, miscarriage, neonatal death, and stillbirth.
MedlinePlus. Links to information in English and Spanish about miscarriage and stillbirth.
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Gateway: Pregnancy Loss, Miscarriage, Stillbirth. Links to websites with information about pregnancy loss, miscarriage, and stillbirth and about coping with your loss.

Losing a Baby

CJ Foundation for SIDS. Information and materials about SIDS and steps to reduce the risk for SIDS.
MedlinePlus: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Links to information in English and Spanish about SIDS.

Grieving Families

Compassionate Friends: Grief Support After the Death of a Child. Brochures for parents, grandparents, and siblings who have experienced pregnancy loss and the death of a child. Offers support via online support groups and local chapters.
First Candle: Grieving Families. Articles, brochures, and a hotline for families who have experienced the death of a baby. Some brochures are available in Spanish.
Hospice: For Patients and Families Facing Life-Threatening Illness. Articles about coping with death, including articles to help surviving children.
March of Dimes (MOD): Bereavement Materials. Articles for families who have experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth, or death of a baby. Resources explain grief, discuss how to deal with your feelings and ask for help, and suggest ways to remember your baby.
Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc. Brochures in English and Spanish for grieving families experiencing pregnancy loss or the death of a baby, contact information for local support groups, and an electronic newsletter. Articles, training, and conferences for those caring for bereaved families.
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Gateway: Bereavement Support. A guide to resources for parents, families, caregivers, and others touched by a baby's death.

Learn more about infant mortality and pregnancy loss and factors that increase the risk of infant death: birth defects, injuries, low birthweight and prematurity, preconception and pregnancy, and sleep environment.

Need more information? Use the collection of resources that library staff have put together for you and your family.

Infant Mortality and Pregnancy Loss: Family Resource Brief. (November 2010). (Updated: March 2014).

Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Digital Library.
Contributors: Jeanne Anastasi, M.A., Beth DeFrancis, M.L.S., and Tracy Lopez, M.S.L.S., National SUID/SIDS Resource Center.
Reviewers: Suzanne Bronheim, Ph. D., National Center for Cultural Competence; Stacey D. Cunningham, M.S.W., M.P.H., National Healthy Start Association; Hanan Kallash, R.N., M.S., First Candle; Olivia K. Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Digital Library.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Digital Library.