
Three Little Birds Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support is grateful to have been invited to the discussion among other professionals and advocates in supporting the perinatal loss community through the Nurture NJ campaign at today's Leadership Summit on maternal mental health. We will continue to work as a community to #shatterthestigma of perinatal loss and find accessible and equitable resources and advocacy support for NJ families!
Advocates and professionals were divided into discussion groups. Group #4 was tasked with
1) identifying at least one major priority and potential solution to address perinatal loss and grief.
Collectively, we agreed the priority would be to uplift the work already being done to prevent stillbirth while addressing the following:
Recognizing all perinatal loss, no matter the gestational age
Changing the narrative surrounding pregnancy loss by talking openly about it
Ending the stigmatization of pregnancy loss
Normalizing and verbalizing patients'/families' feelings as people grief in different ways
Potential solutions:
Develop partnerships and collaborations with advocacy groups
Provide additional funding opportunities to grassroots-led organizations supporting families and providers
Rethinking how we address pregnancy loss and different solutions by appropriate care in appropriate settings
Provide education and a wider availability of bereavement care and bereavement support, including a space to honor and respect the family's wishes
Lifting online grief support communities, peer support communities, and organization
Connecting families with those who experienced loss
2) How will health equity be addressed in the solutions?
Diversify the workforce. Hire and train BIPOC social workers, bereavement specialists, and healthcare workers
Identify hospitals with effective care team models and implement that model in other hospitals
Increase health literacy and cultural competency across the board
Step away from mother blaming and show more cultural humility
Mandating the Perinatal Bereavement Certificate Program for nurses, healthcare workers
Integrate mental health care and make it more accessible
3) Who are the stakeholders that need to be involved in the ideation, planning, and implementation of this solution?
Everyone!!!
Moms with lived experienced
Policymakers
Grassroots Community organization
Midwives
Family practitioners
Providers
CHW's
Doulas
Three maternal child health consortiums
Funders
Thank you to Vu-An Foster, Linda Sloan Locke, CNM,MPH,LSW ,FACNM, Alice Lu, Rachel Smith, Kristen Samuelson, Robyn D'Oria, Ashley Neblett, Shawnese Duren, Consuelo Bonometti, and everyone who participated for the robust discussion.
#blackmaternalhealth#infanthealth#infantmentalhealth infantmortality #maternalchildhealth#mentalhealth#mentalhealthawareness#njstillbirth#njstillbirthawareness#babyloss#miscarriage#perinatalloss#perinataladvocates#NurtureNJ#peerledsupport
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