Honouring babies and supporting families following pregnancy and infant loss
Across Saskatchewan, health-care teams provide compassionate care to families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss, helping families navigate an experience they never imagined they would face.
That care can extend beyond the hospital through community organizations and other partners that provide families with additional resources, opportunities for remembrance and connections with others who understand.
For Stephanie Roster and her family, that support became important after the stillbirth of their first daughter, Lyra, at 36 weeks in 2020. In the years that followed, they also experienced three miscarriages: Aspen, Luna and Ember.
Today, each child is represented by a stuffed animal, a reminder that they will always be part of their family.
While the grief remains, so too does Stephanie Roster’s memory of the care her family received at Regina General Hospital.
“The staff at RGH was amazing with us and Lyra,” said Stephanie Roster. “They were so kind and thoughtful and very helpful throughout the entire time we were there.”
Her experience is one example of the compassionate care health-care teams provide to families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss across Saskatchewan.
Families can also find support through community organizations and other support networks. For Stephanie Roster, comfort came from Twinkle Star and Empty Arms, two Saskatchewan-based organizations that provided her with support, resources and remembrance opportunities during her journey.
“We want every family experiencing loss to be acknowledged, supported and reminded that their baby matters,” said Riana Turner, president of Twinkle Star.
“When a family loses a baby, it can be an incredibly isolating experience,” said Krysta Shacklock, executive director of Empty Arms Perinatal Loss Support Services. “Our role is to work alongside health-care teams and build on the tremendous care they provide, helping families navigate the unimaginable, create meaningful memories with their baby, and find connection and support in a community that understands so they know they are not alone.”
Across Saskatchewan, health-care teams, community organizations and partners each play a role in surrounding families with care and support, from their time in hospital through the days, months and years that follow.
The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, with Oct. 15 recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
It is a time to honour babies who are deeply loved and never forgotten, recognize the grief carried by their families, and acknowledge the health-care teams, community organizations and partners who support them.
While no one can take away that loss, compassionate care and community can help ensure families do not have to navigate it alone.
