Family Resources
Below is a list of websites that offer bereavement materials, etc.
These organizations do not necessarily represent the The Haven Network’s views;
they are simply presented as available resources concerning perinatal death and bereavement as well as other grief issues.
Financial Resources
Childrens Burial Assistance 
Harkins Community Memorial Fund (Rockford Area)
The mission of the Harkins Community Memorial Fund is to assist families who are without the needed support in times of crisis by providing support, information and financial assistance. This program is not to make decisions for families but to let them know what is available in the Rockford, Illinois area should they so choose. It recognizes that everyone cannot afford to purchase pre-burial plans or life insurance and that crisis situations happen when we least expect them.
Keepsakes and Jewelry
Art Under Glass
www.etsy.com/shop/ArtUnderGlass
Wear a picture of your beautiful baby with hand crafted soldered jewelry and art pendants from Art Under Glass. These beautiful pendants make great gifts. Our families will receive a 25% discount on all items in the shop. Contact Becky with Art Under Glass from her Etsy shop for more information.
Mamie’s Poppy Plates
Keepsake plates with your child’s footprints along with their name and date.
Molly Bears
Molly Bears creates teddy bears with the exact weight of your baby. They can create a Molly Bear for children up to one year of age at the time of passing. Molly Bears can weigh as little as one-half ounce or as much as 14 pounds. They cannot match the lengths of the baby. If you have lost multiples, you will need to place an order for each baby individually.
Children’s Support Group
Willow House provides support where children, teens, young adults, and families grieving a death can share their experiences. At Willow House, families gain strength by connecting with others who are grieving as well and are able to move through their grief experiences… together. Meetings are held in the Chicagoland area.
Bereavement Materials
The Centering Corporation
www.centering.org
The Centering Corporation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education and resources for the bereaved.
Grief Watch
www.griefwatch.com
The Grief Watch site was created to provide you with bereavement resources, memorial products and links that can help you through your personal loss. It also serves as an excellent educational tool for all who travel down the road of grief.
Threads of Love
www.threadsoflove.org
Threads of Love is a sewing ministry meeting the needs of tiny premature infants and newborns who die due to stillbirth, miscarriage or infant death. The ministry is about healing and binding hearts together of parents at a time of uncertainty about their baby’s health or when they lose an infant.
The Compassionate Friends
www.compassionatefriends.org
The mission of The Compassionate Friends is to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive.
The Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Alliance
www.plida.org
The Pregnancy Loss and Infant Death Alliance, or PLIDA, is a nationwide, collective community of parents and health care professionals. We work together to ensure that all families experiencing the death of a baby during pregnancy, birth, or infancy will receive comprehensive and compassionate care from diagnosis through the reproductive years.
BeNotAfraid.net
www.benotafraid.net
Benotafraid.net is an online outreach to parents who have received a poor or difficult prenatal diagnosis. The family stories, articles, and links within this site are presented as a resource for those who may have been asked to choose between terminating a pregnancy or continuing on despite the diagnosis. The benotafraid.net families faced the same decision and chose not to terminate. By sharing our experiences, we hope to offer encouragement to those who may be afraid to continue on.
Forever Our Angels
www.foreverourangels.tripod.com
The book is a collection of personal essays, written by men and women who have been dealt the blow of pregnancy loss. Whether the loss occurred in the first trimester or it was experienced in the later weeks of a happily anticipated pregnancy, these men and women were willing to share their pain and devastation in order to help others.
M.E.N.D.
www.mend.org
M.E.N.D. (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death) is a Christian, non-profit organization that reaches out to families who have suffered the loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death.
M.I.S.S. Foundation
Psychosocial Outreach: Helping the Family Facing Death
missfoundation.org
The MISS Foundation is a 501 (c) 3, volunteer based organization committed to providing crisis support and long term aid to families after the death of a child from any cause. MISS also participates in legislative and advocacy issues, community engagement and volunteerism, and culturally competent, multidisciplinary, education opportunities.
The Olivia Raine Foundation
www.oliviaraine.org
The Olivia Raine Foundation is designed to offer financial assistance for funeral costs incurred when a family’s infant child passes away.
Sufficient Grace Ministries
www.sufficientgraceministries.org
Sufficient Grace Ministries for Women, a 501 (c ) 3 non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization, was founded in 2004 by Kelly Gerken with the purpose of reaching out to women and families to offer comfort, encouragement and hope. The Dreams of You division of this ministry was created specifically to provide comfort to women and families who have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. Sufficient Grace Ministries offers a variety of keepsakes including memory items and comfort bears. They also offer a blog and a list of other resources.
Books on Newborn Loss and Grief
There are many good books available in bookstores and online that deal with miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death. Our Healing Hearts Support Group members were given some of these books to read and have given them favorable reviews. Below is a compiled list of some of the books they read as well as others that we have recommended in the past.
An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: A Memoir by Elizabeth McCracken
McCracken tells her own story in this touching and often unexpectedly funny memoir about her life before and after losing her first child in the ninth month of pregnancy.
“Baby, Baby, Where Did You Go?” by Julie Ann Smith
A mother tries to envision and understand her baby’s spiritual journey in Heaven after its physical death on earth due to a sudden miscarriage.
www.facebook.com/babybabywheredidyougo
Choosing To See by Mary Beth Chapman
Chapman, wife to singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman, tells the story of her life and loss of her 5 year old daughter in this tender memoir.
Couple Communication After a Baby Dies: Differing Perspectives
by Sherokee Ilse and Tim Nelson
Forgotten Tears: A Grandmother’s Journey Through Grief by Nina Bennett
A grandmother’s grief journey following the stillbirth of her granddaughter.
Good Grief Club by Monica Novak
Written by a bereaved mother, The Good Grief Club is the true story of seven women who discover that their new friendships have the power to heal the pain of losing their babies in miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death.
Grieving The Child I Never Knew by Kathe Wunnenberg
A devotional companion offering comfort, the reassurance of God’s presence, and strength for the journey through grief to healing for those who have lost a child through miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, stillbirth, or early infant death.
Holding on to Hope by Nancy Guthrie
Framing her own story of staggering loss and soaring hope with the biblical story of Job, Nancy Guthrie takes her fellow sufferers by the hand and guides them on a pathway through pain—straight to the heart of God.
Silent Grief: Miscarriage-Child loss finding your way through the darkness by Clara Hinton
A message of hope through the writing and interviews of women and men who have suffered losses.
Sleeping Angel: A True Story of a Mother’s Stillborn Baby by Anna Marie Smith
‘Sleeping Angel’ is a book that can help mothers of stillborn babies and people close to them in the midst of this devastating experience.
The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie
Insightful daily reflections based on the Word of God to comfort, encourage, and uplift those who are feeling the aches of life, whether it’s because of everyday disappointments or deep losses.
Waiting for Gabriel: A Story of Cherishing a Baby’s Brief Life by Amy Kuebelbeck
AP journalist Amy Kuebelbeck shares the heartbreaking story of the brief life of her son, Gabriel, born with a rare heart defect.
A Symphony in the Dark: Hearing God’s Voice in a Season of Grief by Barbara Rainey and Rebecca Rainey Mutz
“Tear Soup” by Schweibert & DeKlyn
Children’s Books on Grief and Loss
When Goodbye is Forever by Lois Rock
All through our lives we learn to say many goodbyes. Some are easy. Some are hard. This book helps young readers to understand different sorts of good-byes and to find the strength and hope when they face the hardest good-bye of all–bereavement. Reading level: Ages 4-8
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
A wonderful story about the invisible string that connects loved ones. Whenever one thinks about another member of the family, the string gives a tug and you feel it. Reading level: Ages 4-8
Where Are You? A Child’s Book About Loss by Laura Olivieri
Where Are You: A Child’s Book About Loss is a kind and supportive text with beautiful illustrations designed to help children of all ages cope with the loss of a loved one. It is created with love and care so that even the youngest readers will find comfort during this stressful and difficult time. Reading level: Ages 4-8
Waterbugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Children (Looking Up) by Doris Stickney
Tear Soup by Pat Schweibert, Chuck DeKlyen, Pat Schwiebert,Chuck DeKlyen, Taylor Bills, Pat Schwiebert
If you are going to buy only one book on grief, this is the one to get! It will validate your grief experience, and you can share it with your children. You can leave it on the coffee table so others will you are going to buy only one book on grief, this is the one to get! It will validate your grief experience, and you can share it with your children. You can leave it on the coffee table so others will pick it up, read it, and then better appreciate your grieving time. pick it up, read it, and then better appreciate your grieving time. Reading level: Ages 4-8
God Gave Us Heaven by Lisa T. Bergren
With tender words, her Papa describes a wonderful place, free of sadness and tears, where God warmly welcomes his loved ones after their life on earth is over. Little Cub and Papa spend the day wandering their beautiful, invigorating arctic world while she asks all about God’s home: How do we get to heaven? Will we eat there? Will I get to see you in heaven? Reading level: Ages 4-8
Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas (Healing Your Grieving Heart series) by Alan D. Wolfelt PhD
A book that is written in clear, user-friendly prose. Each page presents a different idea designed to help teens recognize mourning as a natural process connected with loss, reassuring them that they should not be afraid of deep, sometimes uncontrollable emotions, and showing them how to release grief in healthy, positive ways. Several suggestions appear under each heading; many of them encourage readers to express their feelings in a journal. The book has a comfortable tone to it, without taking away from the very definite need to deal with grief. It seems to work with, rather than talk at teens as they tackle the problem/solution process. A good first step toward admitting the need for and getting. Reading level: Grade 7 and up
A Child Remembers by Enid S. Traisman
A write in memory book for bereaved children ages 8-12. This is a unique tool for children who are grieving the loss of someone they love. There are pages for writing about the person’s life and death, a goodbye letter, pages to draw the service and more. Keeps memories safely preserved. Reading level: Ages 8-12
When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief by Marge Heegaard
A practical format for allowing children to understand the concept of death and develop coping skills for life. Reading level: Ages 9-12
Books For Parents on Children’s Grief
35 Ways to Help a Grieving Child (Guidebook Series) by Dougy Center Staff
If you know a child or teen who has experienced a death, this guidebook presents you with simple and practical suggestions for how to support him or her. Learn what behaviors and reactions to expect from children at different ages, ways to create safe outlets for children to express their thoughts and feelings and how to be supportive during special events such as the memorial service, anniversaries and holidays.
A Child’s View of Grief by Alan D., Ph.D. Wolfelt
This concise resource for parents of grieving kids explores several key principles for helping children cope with grief and offers ways to create an emotional environment filled with love and acceptance. It answers common questions such as “What should I say to children when someone they love dies?” and “Should young children attend funerals?” This guide also identifies and explains typical behaviors, thoughts, and feelings of grieving kids and offers adults tips for responding to them
How Do We Tell the Children?: A Step-by-Step Guide for Helping Children Cope When Someone Dies, Third Edition.
Schaeffer, a psychologist and former funeral home director, and New York City-based journalist Lyons lucidly and straightforwardly explain how to inform children about the realities of death. They explain what most children can easily understand, what they might need help understanding, and the importance of being up-front.
For Those Who Live: Helping Children Cope With the Death of a Brother or Sister by Kathy Latour
Talking about Death: A Dialogue between Parent and Child by Earl A. Grollman
Talking about Death is a classic guide for parents helping their children through the death of a loved one. With a helpful list of dos and don’ts, an illustrated read-along dialogue, and a guide to explaining death, Grollman provides sensitive and timely advice for families coping with loss. This redesigned and updated edition explains what children at different developmental stages can and can’t understand about death; reveals why it’s crucial to be honest about death; helps you understand the way children express emotions like denial, grief, crying, anger, and guilt; and discusses children’s reactions to different kinds of death, from the death of a parent to the death of a pet.