Infant Loss Awareness Month: PHA is Here to Help

October is Infant Loss Awareness month. We recognize that many moms and families struggle with this
heartbreak, and many are suffering in silence. Whether a mother or family has been able to process,
share, openly grieve, or has never found the words to talk about it – this is a reminder that our Warmline
exists for you.

Currently we have 12 dedicated Warmline volunteers who rotate their time weekly on-call and support
each other as back up call. On the Warmline we see a range of calls and emails from mamas directly,
their partners, extended family, and clinicians and other service providers. Our main goal in offering this
peer support and connection to any of these callers, is to remind to them that they are not alone. We
have an incredible list of members, that continues to grow, who are dedicated to helping families
navigate the perinatal journey, including those that involve a perinatal loss.
As we think about the difficulty of Infant Loss we'd like to offer a reminder of a few wonderful resources or families in this time:

1. Empty Cradle is a Southern California non-profit serving San Diego County and Riverside County area parents who have lost a baby to miscarriage, stillbirth, infant death, TFMR or SIDS. They have an extensive resource page with books, links and videos.
2. MiscarriageHurts.com serves as a refuge for men, women, family members, and friends who have
   been touched by miscarriage. The website features activities designed to make sense of and work
   through the grieving process, as well as a place to memorialize, and a place to find further help and
   support.
3. The San Diego infant loss guide Developed by the County of San Diego, Health and Human Services
   Agency, Maternal, Child, and Family Health Services (MCFHS) Branch, in collaboration with the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Program Community Action Team.
4. Heartbreaking choice Offering complete, unconditional support for women who have terminated a
   much wanted pregnancy due to a poor prenatal diagnosis, a severe or terminal fetal anomaly, a
   selective reduction, or for the health of the mother.
5. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Providing the gift of remembrance photography for parents suffering
   the loss of a baby

To our members: I encourage you to keep your practice specialties & interests up-to- date on your PHA profiles so that our Warmline Volunteers can continue to effectively identify and provide referrals for
our callers seeking specific support, whether it is around loss, or any other area.
To our mamas: Remember that you don't have to go through this alone. Give us a call at 619-254- 002 or reach out to us via our website.

Chloe Clasper-Torch serves as the Warmline Chair for the PHA Board. She currently works at Jewish
Family Service of San Diego.