Pregnancy equals baby.

The thought that anything could go wrong in between rarely occupies our thoughts. However, the startling truth is that approximately 870,000 babies die during pregnancy or shortly after birth annually in this country alone. Society tends not to understand the parents' pain and often responds with indifference or denial of their loss with comments such as, "be glad it happened now" or "you're young, you can have another baby." Comments such as these, while well intended, are not received as comforting. Union Hospital recognizes that the loss of a baby is a dramatic disruption to a family. Hopes, plans and dreams have been shattered. Life will never be the same. Grieving and healing take time and work- and lots of it. Union Hospital's RTS Bereavement Services program is here to help.

RTS Bereavement Services is a comprehensive, hospital-based, one-on-one support program for families who experience the loss of a baby during the early part of a pregnancy, as well as due to stillbirth or newborn death. Sensitive care is provided to these families from the time we learn the baby has died, through the initial grieving period, and for as long as families choose to be involved. Follow-up care is provided individually and through a monthly Parent Support Group if desired. An annual memorial service, Walk to Remember, is held in October during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month to symbolically unite those who have experienced a loss and those who care for them. It is our desire to increase awareness about the support and understanding needed by families who have suffered these tragedies.

How to contact us

For further information regarding this program, contact Sue Hoopengarner, RN, RTS Bereavement Services Coordinator at (812) 238-4978 or via email at shoopengarner@uhhg.org