*If you are supporting a perinatal loss family and they are interested in bedside support, click here.
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Since 2016, Three Little Birds has supported more than 350 families through pregnancy and infant loss in the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey metro region. During this time, our volunteers have worked closely with numerous medical care providers to improve communication and patient care. Together, they are also facilitating families with memory making as well as providing photography support. It has become apparent perinatal bereavement is not taught and nor encouraged in hospitals and private care facilities.
The primary objective of the Perinatal Bereavement Training Workshop is to educate medical professionals on understanding complex grief, evoking empathy during a difficult time and empowering perinatal loss families to create memories. Trainees will end the course firm in the knowledge and confidently provide families with the best possible experience on the worst day of their lives.
This workshop consists of five weeks of self-guided virtual content, required reading and one day of in-person hands on training to facilitate memory making and photography for various scenarios – some of which come from real experience and stories.
Our Perinatal Bereavement Training Program offers both clinicians and maternal/fetal professionals, the opportunity to attend a peer-led training course given by loss parents and other advocates. Our training supports strategic communication scripts, in addition to assistance in promoting diversity and inclusion. The success of our program was even featured on KYW News Radio!
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Three Little Birds launched our Perinatal Bereavement Training program scholarship program for medical professionals and advocates in 2022 and the positive response from clinicians has been overwhelmingly positive. To date, we have trained:
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Six clinicians at Jefferson Health Washington Township, May 2022
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Four clinicians at Inspira Health Mullica Hill and Vineland, September 2022
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11 advocates (mix of loss parents, photographers, birth workers and active or retired nurses), August 2022
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Two additional retired professionals/advocates in May 2023
Three Little Birds is in the process of expanding and credentialing our training program to make it more accessible and 100% virtual. Please check back for updates!
“Utilizing all the resources we are given, and by reading and listening, I learned that as a bereavement advocate, I can bring a little light into the room. I can't change things or give them what they wish for most, but I can offer comfort and hope and maybe be a little ray of light in their stormiest time. You hear "we have a fetal demise coming in" and instantly there is a wave of sadness, gloom. Through this workshop I have learned that I can help find that window in the wall and find light that will lead out of the darkness. I am blown away by all Three Little Birds does. I thought this workshop would teach me how to take the best pictures and offer me information that I could pass onto these families for the support they would need. I didn't realize that I would learn all that I have. This has pushed me to wanting to reorganize and rethink what we do for these patients. We haven't been doing enough. This workshop has opened that door for me.” - Dawn Moore, RN, Inspira Health Mullica Hill
