Honor your baby...Impact Congress March 25

Honor your baby...Impact Congress

Help us send parents to Washington DC for the Infant Loss Symposium and
meetings with Congressmen on March 24-25, 2009

And let us bring your babies pictures and stories with us!


We invite you to help support important Stilbirth/SIDS legislation by
participating in the creation of “Our Babies—Always Loved, Always
Remembered—Memorial Album”

On March 25, 2009 bereaved parents and other infant health advocates from
around the country and from many different loss organizations will be coming
together on Capitol Hill to lobby for important legislation related to
stillbirth, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and SUID (sudden unexpected
infant death.)

If you send us your baby's name, pictures, and or short stories, you will
help make it real to those who have the power to create legislation and
appropriate money to support research, awareness, and education on
stillbirth, SIDS, and SUID. We are creating a Baby Memorial Album that our
parent teams will leave with each Legislative office. Would you like your
baby's name/photo in it???

To learn more about how more about it and how to participate click here
www.firstcandle.org/our-babies/

Spring, the season of new life

~We are forever changed for having known the gift that was you. We miss you terribly and who you would have been, But we are much better people because you have touched our lives... if only for a brief moment..~
As spring approaches we are often reminded of new life with feelings of renewal, warm weather, longer days, change, flowers, fresh air, and transition. For bereaved parents often times you look for something to take the pain away and make your lives alright again. Spring does not make everything okay; what it can do is remind us that regardless of what happens in our lives, natures process will continue, and that will offer us hope. Know that one day again you will welcome spring again. Be gentle and patient with yourself and nature. Be ready to let a little of the hope that spring can offer into your heart.

Fast-Paced World

We live in a fast-paced world where emotions are often a sign of weakness. Often if our feelings tug on us during the day we want to tuck them away and hide them, either because we don’t have time to face them or we don’t want to let others know that we are struggling. However, I believe that God gives us feelings for a reason – they are often our soul or psyche’s way of letting us know that something is wrong or that there’s something we need to attend to, just as an aching limb tells us to take it easy on exercise or a sharp pain tells us something is broken. Take some time during the day to attend to your feelings. Acknowledge them. Allow yourself to cry, or to be angry. Write about it, or talk to someone about it. And be easy on yourself. Take a little time to do something you enjoy, talk to someone who loves you for who you are, and slow down a bit. Listen to the concerns on your heart and offer them up as a prayer.
Peace,
Chaplain Emily

C.A.R.E. Perinatal Bereavement Support Group

We are pleased to announce, we now have a perinatal bereavement support group. Our support group is open to anyone who is dealing with a perinatal loss (miscarriage, stillborn, or newborn/infant death).

When:
First Tuesday of every month
Time:
6:30pm-8:00pm
Where:
Sierra Vista Regional Health Center- Outreach Center
1840 Paseo San Luis
Sierra Vista, Arizona 85635

If you would like more information, please call:
Rebecca Buksh at 520-234-0809

Welcome

Welcome to C.A.R.E., your local, online resource for perinatal grief. In situations of grief and loss, it’s easy to feel alone or unsure about where to turn. C.A.R.E. staff at Sierra Vista Regional Health Center wants you to know that there are places to go and people to talk to while you heal and sort through the overwhelming emotions associated with loss.

This fledgling program hopes to grow into a firm foundation for parents living with loss in Cochise County, Arizona. We have a passion and the vision for supporting the quiet suffering so many women and families experience when a pregnancy ends unexpectedly.

Long-term goals include:

1. A local support group with a specific focus on perinatal grief.
2. Providing perinatal grief resources to local clergy and congregations.
3. Improving and expanding follow up care for perinatal grief patients at SVRHC, and the surrounding community.

In the meantime, we hope this blog will help connect you with the people, places and resources you need. Stay tuned for updates, articles and information to come and pass this blog on to your friends and family in need of support. Do you have a question or topic to be addressed by the C.A.R.E. staff? Don’t hesitate to contact us and add to the conversation.

God bless your journey. May you find the peace and comfort you are looking for.

Rebecca Buksh
C.A.R.E. Perinatal Bereavement Coordinator
Phone: 520-417-4557
Email: rebecca.buksh@svrhc.org
Sierra Vista Regional Health Center Website: http://www.svrhc.org/

What does C.A.R.E. stand for?

Compassion ~ We vow to treat you with tender sympathy and kindness. We do not pretend to know how you feel and will not project expectations about your healing process. We are here to care for you from the moment you reach out for someone to walk with you while you grieve.

Attendance ~ We are here to connect you with local and online resources for perinatal grief and loss. The most effective form of advocacy is simple, dependable presence. We will support and encourage you by giving you the tools you need to remember your child, to pick up the pieces and to keep moving forward. While your experience and pain are unique, we are here to remind you that you do not have to brave this trial alone.

Recovery ~ You may wonder if you will every feel like yourself again. Sometimes it takes longer to recover than your loved ones expect, but it is important to take the time you need to mourn, remember and commemorate this emotional time in your life. The C.A.R.E. staff can walk with you through this process.

Empowerment ~ Losing a child can also mean losing a sense of control in life. Pregnancy is full of anticipation and planning for the future. An important part of the healing process is finding a sense of hope and optimism again. Connecting with others experiencing the effects of pregnancy loss or the C.A.R.E. staff can help validate your emotions and help you give yourself permission to start looking ahead.

We are here to walk with you on the road to recovery and empowerment in compassionate and attentive ways. If you let us know what you need, we will provide you with the best C.A.R.E. possible!

Prayers of peace and comfort be with you.

Q & A

How do I contact the grief nursing staff at Sierra Vista Regional Health Center?

Perinatal Grief Coordinator: rebecca.buksh@svrhc.org
Phone: (520) 955-3441

Perinatal Grief Coordinator: jaclyn.hunter@svrhc.org
Phone: (520) 417-3547

Perinatal Grief Nurse: mary.austin@svrhc.org
Perinatal Grief Nurse: nona.lacy@svrhc.org
Perinatal Grief Staff: jan.johnson@svrhc.org

OB Nurses Station: (520) 417-3180

Are there local support groups for people grieving?

C.A.R.E. Perinatal Bereavement Support Group
(520)955-3441
When: The first Tuesday of every month @ 6:30 pm
Sierra Vista Regional Health Center (Outreach Center)
1840 Paseo San Luis
Sierra Vista, Arizona 85635

The Compassionate Friends
(520) 803-0004 or (520) 803-7797
When: The first Thursday of the month 6:30pm
Mountain View Assembly of God (annex)
Hwy 90 at Colombo Avenue in Sierra Vista

Footprints: Perinatal Loss Support Group
(520)-873-6590
When: The 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm
St. Joseph's Women's Care Pavilion
Agave Room
Tucson, Arizona

Grief & Loss Support Group
*Not specific to Perinatal Grief and Loss*
(520) 459-0444
When: The last Tuesday of the month at 4:30pm
Sierra Ev. Lutheran Church
101 N. Lenzner Avenue in Sierra Vista

Are there other local resources that specialize in perinatal grief?

Care Net Pregnancy Center of Cochise County (adoption support)
222 E. Fry Blvd.
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
(520) 459-LOVE

We Care Services in Safford
101 Main Street
Safford, AZ 85548
(928)428-9406

Cochise County Health in Bisbee
1415 West Meldoy Lane Bldg. A
Bisbee, AZ 85603
(520) 432-9471

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Hotline
This program is located in Phoenix, but connects women via telephone in a much wider area.

• Value Options: Counseling for mothers who have lost a baby. (800) 631-1314.

• Warm Line: A support/phone group operated 5pm-10pm daily to connect mothers who want to talk with others who have lost babies. (602) 347-1100.

• Crisis Line: A contact for mothers emotionally overwhelmed with the death of their child and considering suicide. (602) 222-9444.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline-1-800-273-TALK (8255)

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24-hour, toll-free suicide prevention service available to anyone in suicidal crisis. If you need help, please dial 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You will be routed to the closest possible crisis center in your area. With more than 130 crisis centers across the country, our mission is to provide immediate assistance to anyone seeking mental health services. Call for yourself, or someone you care about. Your call is free and confidential.
  
• Para obtener asistencia en español durante las 24 horas, llame al 1-888-628-9454

I'm in the military or a dependent of an active duty member are there benefits I'm entitled to?

Yes there are please see the side bar of this blog for more details and contact information at Ft. Huachuca.