 The Death of a Child, The Grief of the Parents: A Lifetime
Journey
The morning glory blooms but
for an hour
and yet it differs not at heart
from the giant pine
that lives for a thousand years
— Teitoku Matsunaga, Japanese Poet
Introduction
There is no more devastating loss than the
death of a child. Sudden death is a contradiction to everything
that is known to be true in life. Losing a child to sudden
death is a disruption in the natural law and order of life.
It is a heartbreak like no other. Parental grief is different
from other losses—it is intensified, exaggerated and
lengthened.
“Children are not supposed to die...Parents
expect to see their children grow and mature. Ultimately, parents
expect to die and leave their children behind...This is the
natural course of life events, the life cycle continuing as
it should. The loss of a child is the loss of innocence, the
death of the most vulnerable and dependent. The death of a
child signifies the loss of the future, of hopes and dreams,
of new strength, and of perfection” (Arnold and Gemma
1994, iv,9, 39).
Grieving parents say that their grief is
a lifelong process, a long and painful process... “a
process in which [they] try to take and keep some meaning from
the loss and life without the [child]” (Arnold and Gemma
1983, 57). After a child’s death, parents embark on a
long, sad journey that can be very frightening and extremely
lonely—a journey that never really ends. The hope and
desire that healing will come eventually is an intense and
persistent one for grieving parents.
The child who died is considered a gift to
the parents and family, and they are forced to give up that
gift. Yet, as parents, they also strive to let their child’s
life, no matter how short, be seen as a gift to others. These
parents seek to find ways to continue to love, honor, and value
the lives of their children, and to make the child’s
presence known and felt in the lives of family and friends.
Bereaved parents often try to live their lives more fully and
generously because of this painful experience.
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The Process of Grief
Grief is a process. Although parents would
wish otherwise, grief cannot be bypassed or hurried; it must
be allowed to happen. Parents do not go through grief and come
out the other side as before the loss. Grief changes parents.
One approach to understanding bereavement,
developed by Dr. J.W. Worden (2002), identifies grief not as
a succession of phases through which a person passes with little
or no control, but as four tasks for the bereaved person:
Accepting the reality of the loss: When
someone dies, there is always a sense that it hasn’t
happened. The first task of grieving is to come full face with
the reality that the child is dead, that the child is gone
and will not return. The opposite of accepting the loss is
not believing through some type of denial. Denial usually involves
either the facts of the loss, the significance of the loss
to the survivor, or the irreversibility of the loss. To accomplish
this task, the parent must talk about the dead child and funeral,
as well as the circumstances around the death.
Working through the pain of grief: It
is necessary to acknowledge and work through the pain of grief
or it will manifest itself through some symptoms or atypical
behavior. Not everyone experiences the same intensity of pain
or feels it in the same way, but it is impossible to lose someone
with whom you have been deeply attached without experiencing
some level of pain. The negation of this second task is not
to feel.
People may avoid feeling pain by using thought
stopping procedures or by avoiding reminders of the child.
Many emotions such as shock, anger, guilt and depression may
be expressed. The bereaved need to allow themselves to indulge
in the pain: to feel it and know that one day it will pass.
Some say it is easier to express emotions with someone who
knew the child or who can relate to the experience directly.
Adjusting to an environment in which
the deceased is missing: Caring for a child takes
an amazing amount of time and energy. Parents and other caregivers
once consumed with the constant task of meeting the needs
of a child are suddenly forced into inactivity. Where responsibility
was, is now emptiness. During this adaptation to loss, people
can work to avoid promoting their own helplessness by gradually
reforming schedules and responsibilities. Creating meaningful
rituals like a special memorial or keeping a journal or writing
poetry are helpful components of completing this task.
Emotionally relocating the deceased
and moving on with life: Survivors sometimes think
that if they withdraw their emotional attachment, they are
somehow dishonoring the memory of the child. In some cases,
parents are frightened by the prospect of having another
baby because he or she might also die. For many people, this
task is the most difficult one to accomplish. They may get
stuck at this point and later realize that their life in
some way stopped at the point the loss occurred. Some bereavement
experts note the grieving process includes not only the parent
adapting to the loss and returning to functioning in their
life, but also includes changing and maintaining their relationship
with the infant or child. It is normal for parents to report
that they having an on-going relationship with their child
through their memories and mental life.
(Worden J.W. 2002)
Factors that may interfere with the
grief process:
- Avoiding emotions
- Overactivity leading to exhaustion
- Use of alcohol or other drugs
- Unrealistic promises made to the deceased
- Unresolved grief from a previous loss
- Judgmental relationships
- Resentment of those who try to help
Complicated grief is delayed or incomplete
adaptation to loss. In complicated grief, there is a failure
to return, over time, to pre-loss levels of functioning, or
to the previous state of emotional well-being. Grief may be
more difficult in younger parents, women, and persons with
limited social support, thus increasing their risk for complicated
grief. The grief surrounding a child’s death is unique
in its challenges and may necessitate professional counseling
from the clergy, grief counselor, family physician, or mental
health professional.
(Burnett L.B. 2004)
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Sudden Infant Death
The impact of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
(SIDS) presents unique grieving factors and raises painful
psychological issues for the parents and family as well as
those who love, care for, and counsel them. SIDS parents must
deal with a baby’s death that is unexpected and unexplained,
a death that cannot be predicted or prevented, an infant death
so sudden that it leaves no time for preparation or goodbyes,
and no period of anticipatory grief. In many cases, parents
of SIDS babies are very young and are confronted with grief
for the first time.
SIDS often occurs at home, forcing parents
and sometimes siblings or other children to witness a terrible
tragedy and possibly scenes of intense confusion. In some cases,
the parents themselves are the ones who find the child dead
and they must always live with that memory. In other cases,
the parents may feel overwhelming guilt or anger if the death
occurred while the child was in child care. They may feel that
the baby might not have died if they had been caring for the
infant. SIDS parents also are very often plagued by “if
only’s” that they are never able to resolve. They
mentally replay such thoughts as: “If only I hadn’t
put the child down for a nap when I did.” “If only
I had checked on the baby sooner.” “If only I had
not returned to work so soon.” “If only I had taken
the baby to the doctor with that slight cold.” Professionals
need to provide parents with reliable information, as well
as emotional support in these situations.
SIDS parents, relatives, child care providers,
health care professionals, and other adults feel helpless in
trying to explain the unexplainable to other young children
who may have been present at the time of the baby’s death.
It is especially difficult for children to understand why a
baby died when the infant didn’t appear to be sick. Also,
in some cases parents are required to explain SIDS to adults
who are misinformed or know nothing about the syndrome.
In most SIDS deaths, the autopsy findings
may help answer questions. Parents are often anxious to consult
with the pathologist after the autopsy. Discussing the autopsy
results often helps most parents accept the reality of their
infant’s death. The pathologist reviews the autopsy results,
explaining in terms the parents can understand how these findings
point to a determination of cause of death. The pathologist
should also take the time to answer parents’ questions
(Valdes-Dapena, 1995).
Friends and family members should try to
do all they can to show their concern and help the parents
in keeping memories of their baby alive. For most SIDS parents,
it is also reassuring for others to try to mention special
things they noticed about the baby and to remember the child’s
birthday or the anniversary of the death. By extending these
personal and sensitive gestures, loving and concerned relatives,
friends, and caregivers can become a source of reassurance
and comfort for the grieving parents.
Some SIDS babies are so young when they die
that family members and friends never had a chance to welcome
them. They may have missed sharing the parents’ excitement
over the birth and affirming the child’s existence. Many
individuals do not understand the depth of parental attachment
to a very young child. Bereaved SIDS parents should not be
made to feel that others don’t want to hear them, that
others won’t permit them to openly grieve. The parents
of SIDS babies want their child’s short life to matter
not only to them, but to their families and friends, to the
others in their “circle of concern,” and to the
world.
“All too frequently, a SIDS loss is
not socially validated in the same way other deaths are. Others
often fail to recognize that, despite the brevity of the child’s
life, the family’s attachment to that child is strong
and deep and has been present in various ways since the knowledge
of conception” (Rando 1986,167).
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Fathers and Grief
“When is it my turn to cry? I’m
not sure society or my upbringing will allow me a time to really
cry, unafraid of the reaction and repercussion that might follow.
I must be strong, I must support my wife, because I am a man.
I must be the cornerstone of our family because society says
so, my family says so, and, until I can reverse my learned
nature, I say so” (A father in DeFrain, J., L. Ernst,
D. Jakub, and J. Taylor, J. 1991, 112).
Although both mothers and fathers grieve
deeply when such a tragedy occurs, they grieve differently.
Fathers are expected to be strong for their partners, to be
the “rock” in the family. All too often fathers
are considered to be the ones who should attend to the practical
but not the emotional aspects surrounding the death; they are
expected to be the ones who should not let emotions show or
tears fall outwardly, the ones who will not and should not
fall apart. Men are often asked how their wives are doing,
but not asked how they are doing.
Such expectations place an unmanageable burden
on men and deprive them of their rightful and urgent need to
grieve. This need will surface eventually if it is not expressed.
It is not unusual for grieving fathers to feel overwhelmed,
ignored, isolated, and abandoned, but many say that such strong
emotions are very difficult to contain after their child’s
death.
A father’s grief needs to be verbalized
and understood by his partner, other family members, professionals,
coworkers and friends, and by anyone who will listen. Fathers
repeatedly say that for their own peace of mind, they (and
those who care about them) need to move away from this mind
set and allow themselves to grieve as they need to.
(Back to the Top)
Families Needing Additional Support
The tragedy of a child’s death brings
profound pain to all affected, and it presents incredibly difficult
and unusual problems for all grieving parents. For some parents,
the effects of such a complicated and devastating tragedy can
be further compounded when the death occurs in a family already
experiencing added stress in their lives, such as substance
abuse or domestic violence. There are some parents for whom
there is no “circle of concern” or extended family.
There are also families who choose not to seek out a support
network for their own reasons.
It is important to assess each family’s
special needs and preferences. Additional resources for families
include hospice organizations, local health departments, bereavement
support programs, and community or religious leaders or healers.
Each family’s cultural beliefs and practices must be
honored during the bereavement process.
(Back to the Top)
Non-Traditional Families
When a non-traditional family experiences
the death of an infant, the community’s response may
be less supportive to that family. It may be necessary to assist
the family to seek out support networks that will best address
their needs. Examples of a non-traditional family include:
- Single parent
- Unmarried parents
- Teenage parents
- Step-parents
- Parents in blended families
- Adoptive and foster parents
- Gay and lesbian parents
All of these parents and those in traditional
families may find their grief unusually complicated. Regardless
of the family’s composition, parental experience, coping
strategies, and cultural practices are unique for each family.
(Back to the Top)
Ways to Comfort a Grieving Parent
- Acknowledge the child’s death
by telling the parent(s) of your sadness for them and by
expressing love and support and trying to provide comfort.
- Allow the parent(s) to express feelings
without imposing your views or feelings about what is appropriate
behavior. Avoid telling the parent(s) you know just how they
feel.
- Allow the parent(s) to cry–-it
is appropriate to cry with them.
- Visit and talk with the family about
the child who died; ask to see pictures or memories the family
may have. Refer to the child by name.
- Extend gestures of concern such as bringing
flowers or writing a personal note expressing your feelings,
letting the parent(s) know of your sadness for them.
- Attend the child’s funeral or
memorial service.
- Offer to go with the parent(s) to the
cemetery in the days and weeks after the funeral, or find
other special ways to extend personal or sensitive gestures
of concern.
- Remember anniversaries and special days.
- Donate to a specific memorial in honor
of the child.
- Make practical and specific suggestions,
such as offering to stop by at a convenient time, bringing
a meal, purchasing a comforting book, offering to take the
other children for a special outing, or treating the parent(s)
to something special.
- Respect the dynamics of each person’s
grief. The often visible expressions of pain and confusion
shown by the grieving parent(s) are normal. Grief is an ongoing
and demanding process.
- Keep in mind that the parent(s) may
not be able to ask for help or tell you what they need.
(Back to the Top)
From One Bereaved Parent to Another
When are you ready to live again? There is
no list of events or anniversaries to check off. In fact, you
are likely to begin living again before you realize you are
doing it. You may catch yourself laughing. You may pick up
a book for recreational reading again. You may start playing
lighter, happier music. When you do make these steps toward
living again, you are likely to feel guilty at first. “What
right have I, you may ask yourself, to be happy when my child
is dead?” And yet something inside feels as though you
are being nudged in this positive direction. You may even have
the sense that this nudge is from your child, or at least a
feeling that your child approves of it (Horchler and Morris,
2003, 178).
All newly bereaved parents must find ways
to get through, not over, their grief—to go on with their
lives. Each is forced to continue life’s journey in an
individual manner.
Many bereaved parents find solace in their
religion. Seeking spiritual comfort in a time of grief does
not mean repressing the grief.
Many grieving parents also find comfort in
rituals. Funerals or memorial services have served many parents
as beautiful and meaningful ways of saying goodbye, providing
a sense of closure after the child’s death. For others,
sending announcement cards about the baby’s death, writing
poems, keeping journals or writing down personal reflections
or prayers, or volunteering with a parental bereavement group
become ways to remember and honor the child who died.
Grief is the natural response to any loss.
Healing for bereaved parents can begin to occur by acknowledging
and sharing their grief.
Friends and caregivers who care should grieve
and mourn with the parents; and be willing to listen. Bereaved
parents need to know that their child will be remembered, not
just by them but also by family and friends. They need to have
the child acknowledged and referred to by name. They want that
child’s life to matter. They do not want to forget and
they don’t want others to forget.
(Back to the Top)
Ways That Help Parents Cope and Heal from the Sudden Loss
of a Child
- Admitting to themselves and others that
their grief is overwhelming, unpredictable, painful, draining,
and exhausting—that their grief should not be diminished
or ignored.
- Allowing themselves to be angry and
acknowledging that they are vulnerable, helpless, and feeling
disoriented.
- Trying to understand that to grieve
is to heal and that integrating grief into their lives is
a necessity.
- Acknowledging the need and desire to
talk about the child who died as well as the moments and
events that will be missed and never experienced with the
child.
- Maintaining a belief in the significance
of their child’s life, no matter how short.
- Creating memorial services and other
rituals as ways to commemorate the child’s life.
- Deriving support from religious beliefs,
a sense of spirituality, or a personal faith.
- Expressing feelings in journals, poetry,
prayers, or other reflective writings or in art, music, or
other creative activities.
- Trying to be patient and forgiving with
themselves and others and refraining from making hasty decisions.
- Counting on, confiding in, and trusting
those who care, listen, and hear, those who will walk with
them, and not be critical of them, those who will try to
understand their emotional and physical limitations, while
also trying to understand and respect the limitations of
their caretakers.
- Increasing their physical activity and
maintaining a healthful diet.
- Volunteering their services to organizations
concerned with support for bereaved parents.
- Obtaining help from traditional support
systems, such as family, friends, professionals or religious
groups, undergoing professional counseling, joining a parent
support group, or acquiring information on the type of death
that occurred as well as about their own grief.
- Reassuring themselves and others that
they were and still are loving parents.
- Letting go of fear and guilt when the
time seems right and the grief seems less.
- Accepting that they are allowed to feel
pleasure and continue their lives, knowing their love for
the child transcends death.
(Back to the Top)
Conclusion
What has happened to these parents has changed
their lives; they will never see life the same way; they will
never be the same people. As they attempt to move forward,
bereaved parents realize they are survivors and have been strong
enough to endure what is probably life’s harshest blow.
By addressing their grief and coping with it, they struggle
to continue this journey while making this devastating loss
part of their own personal history, a part of their life’s
story, a part of their very being.
Eventually, time will cease to stand still
for parents. Painful and terrible moments will still occur—striking,
poignant, but in some ways comforting reminders of the child
who died. There will also be regrets for experiences that were
never shared. But at some unknown and even unexpected point,
parents will come to realize that there can be good moments,
even happy and beautiful moments, and it will not seem impossible
or wrong to smile or laugh, but it will seem right and beautiful
and a fitting way to honor and remember the child who died.
One day, bereaved parents may come to be “surprised by
joy” (Moffat 1992, xxvii).
“But in time...nature takes care of
it; the waves of pain lose intensity a little and come less
frequently. Then friends and relatives say the parents are
getting over it, and that time heals all wounds. The parents
themselves say that as the pain lessens, they begin to have
energy for people and things outside themselves...This is a
decision parents say [they] must make to live as well as they
can in [their] new world...They can come to be happy, but never
as happy.” Their perspective on this and everything has
changed. Their child’s death is the reason for this and
is “a measure of the depth and breadth of the bond between
parent and child” (Finkbeiner 1996, 12, 20, 22, 23).
Like a bird
Singing in the rain,
Let grateful memories
Survive in time of sorrow.
— Robert Louis Stevenson
(Back to the Top)
References Cited
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Sheriff’s Department, Adjunct Professor of Forensic Medicine,
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(Back to the Top)
Recommended Resources
Ash L.
Life Touches Life: A Mother’s Story of Stillbirth
and Healing
Troutdale, OR: New Sage Press, Inc., 2004. 192 p.
Available from New Sage Press Ltd., P.O. Box 607, Troutdale,
OR 97060.
(503) 695-2211, (877) 695-2211 (toll-free), (503) 695-5406
(fax), info@newsagepress.com (e-mail), http://www.newsagepress.com.
ISBN 0-93916-550-3.
Covington SN.
Silent Birth. When Your Baby Dies. Revised Edition
Minneapolis, MN: Fairview Press, 2003. 16 p.
Available from Fairview Press, 2450 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis,
MN 55454.
(800) 544-8207 (toll-free), (612) 672-4180, (612) 672-4980
(fax), press@fairview.org (e-mail), http://www.fairview.org.
ISBN 57749-144-0.
First Candle/SIDS Alliance
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Surviving the Death
of a Baby
Baltimore, MD: First Candle/SIDS Alliance, 2000. 11 p.
Available from National SIDS/ID Program Support Center (NSIDPSC)
1314 Bedford Avenue, Suite 210, Baltimore, MD 21208. (410)
415-6628, (800) 221-7437 (toll-free), (410) 653-8709 (fax), kathleen.graham@firstcandle.org (e-mail), http://www.firstcandle.org/health/health_human.html. Available in Spanish.
Hoppenbrouwers T, Hodgman J.
SIDS
Los Angeles, CA: Women’s and Children’s Hospital,
2003. 93 p.
Available from Women’s and Children’s Hospital,
Newborn Division Rm L919, Attention Dr. T. Toke Hoppenbrouwers,
1240 Mission Road, Los Angeles, CA 90033. toke@hoppenbrouwers.net (e-mail), http://www.hoppenbrouwers.net/toke/sids.asp.
ISBN 0-9742663-0-2.
Horchler JN, Rice R.
SIDS and Infant Death Survival Guide: Information
and Comfort for Grieving Family and Friends and Professionals
Who Seek to Help Them
Cheverly, MD: SIDS Educational Services, 2003. 320 p.
Available from SIDS Educational Services, Inc., 2905 64th Avenue,
Cheverly, MD 20785. (301) 322-2620, (877) 935-6839 (toll-free),
(301) 322-9822 (fax), sidses@aol.com (e-mail), http://www.sidssurvivalguide.org. Available in Spanish.
ISBN 0-9641218-2-4.
Johnson J, Johnson SM.
Children Die, Too: A Book for Parents Who Have Experienced
the Death of a Child
Revised Edition
Omaha, NE: Centering Corporation, 2004. 10 p.
Available from Centering Corporation, P.O. Box 4600, Omaha,
NE 68104. (402) 553-1200, (402) 553-0507 (fax), centering@centering.org (e-mail), http://www.centering.org. Available in Spanish.
ISBN- 1-56123-029-4.
Johnson J, Johnson SM, et al.
Miscarriage: A Book for Parents
Omaha, NE: Centering Corporation, 2004. 24 p.
Available from Centering Corporation, P.O. Box 4600, Omaha,
NE 68104. (402) 553-1200, (402) 553-0507 (fax), centering@centering.org (e-mail), http://www.centering.org. Available in Spanish.
ISBN 56123-007-3.
Limbo RK, Wheeler SR.
When a Baby Dies: A Handbook for Healing and Helping
La Crosse, WI: Bereavement Services, 2003. 165 p.
Available from Bereavement Services, 1910 South Avenue, La
Crosse, WI 54601. (800) 362-9567 (toll-free), (608) 775-4747,
(608) 775-5137 (fax), berservs@gundluth.org (e-mail), http://www.bereavementprograms.com.
ISBN 0-9607098-4-3.
McClain M, Arnold J, Longchamp E, Shaefer
J.
Bereavement Counseling for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
and Infant Mortality: Core Competencies for the Health Professional
McLean, VA: Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs,
2004. 39 p.
Available from the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality
Programs, 8280 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300, McLean, VA. 22102.
(800) 930-7437 (toll-free), (703) 902-1230 (fax), info@sidsprojectimpact.com (e-mail), http://www.asip1.org.
Nelson T.
A Guide for Fathers: When a Baby Dies
St. Paul, MN: A Place to Remember, 2004. 66 p.
Available from A Place to Remember, 1885 University Avenue,
Suite 110, St. Paul, MN 55104. (612) 645-7045, (800) 631-0973
(toll-free), (612) 645-4780 (fax), aptr@aplacetoremember.com (e-mail), http://www.aplacetoremember.com.
ISBN-0-96508-484-1.
Peterson J.
Heart Works: A Father’s Grief
Portland, OR: Heart Works Publishing, 2003. 83 p.
Available from Heart Works Publishing, 930 SE Sandy Boulevard,
Portland, OR 97214. (503) 236-1350, (503) 236-8555 (fax), jerre@negativeperfection.com (e-mail), http://www.heart-works-publishing.com. ISBN 0-9729377-1-4.
Reed ML.
Grandparents Cry Twice: Help for Bereaved Grandparents
Amityville, NY: Baywood Publishing Company, Inc., 2000. 127
p.
Available from Baywood Publishing Company, Inc. 26 Austin Avenue,
P.O. Box 337, Amityville, NY 11701. (800) 638-7819 (toll-free),
(631) 691-1270, (631) 691-1770 (fax), info@baywood.com (e-mail), http://www.baywood.com.
ISBN 0-89503-204-X.
Sanders DB.
When Your Baby Dies...A Gentle Guide for Teenage
Parents
Rancho Cordova, CA: California SIDS Program, Maternal and Child
Health Branch, California Department of Health Services, 2003.
18 p.
Available from California SIDS Program, 11344 Coloma Road,
Suite 560, Gold River, CA 95670-6304. (916) 851-7437, (800)
369-7437 (toll-free), (916) 851-5937 (fax), info@californiasids.com (e-mail), http://www.californiasids.com.
Stillwell E.
The Death of a Child: Reflections for Grieving Parents
Chicago, IL: ACTA Publications, 2004. 160 p.
Available from ACTA Publications, 4848 N. Clark Street, Chicago,
IL 60640-4711. (800) 397-2282 (toll-free), (773) 271-1030,
(800) 397-0079 (fax), actapublications@aol.com (e-mail), http://www.actapublications.com.
ISBN 0-87946-260-4.
The Compassionate Friends
Stillbirth, Miscarriage and Infant Death--Understanding
Grief
Oak Brook, IL: The Compassionate Friends, 2003. 2 p.
Available from The Compassionate Friends, P.O. Box 3696, Oak
Brook, IL 60522-3696. (877) 969-0010 (toll-free), (630) 990-0246, nationaloffice@compassionatefriends.org (e-mail), http://www.compassionatefriends.org. Available in Spanish.
The Compassionate Friends
When a Child Dies...The Compassionate Friends Can
Help
Oak Brook, IL: The Compassionate Friends, 2004. 2 p.
Available from The Compassionate Friends, P.O. Box 3696, Oak
Brook, IL 60522-3696. (877) 969-0010 (toll-free), (630) 990-0246, nationaloffice@compassionatefriends.org (e-mail), http://www.compassionatefriends.org. Available in Spanish.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and
Child Health Bureau
Selected Resources for Grieving Parents, their Families,
Friends, and Other Caregivers
National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center, Revised 2005. 48
p.
Available from the National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center,
8280 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300, McLean, VA. 22102. (866)
866-7437 (toll-free), (703) 821-8955, (703) 821-2098 (fax), sids@circlesolutions.com (e-mail), http://www.sidscenter.org (Web
site).
Wolfelt A.
A Child’s View of Grief: A Guide for Parents,
Teachers, and Counselors
Ft. Collins, CO: Companion Press, 2004. 54 p.
Available from Companion Press, an imprint of the Center for
Loss and Life Transition, 3735 Broken Bow Road, Fort Collins,
CO. 80526. (970) 226-6050, http://www.centerforloss.com.
ISBN 1-879651-43-2.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and
Child Health Bureau
After Sudden Infant Death: Facing Anniversaries,
Holidays, and Special Events
National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center, Revised 2005. 16
p.
Available from the National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center,
8280 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300, McLean, VA. 22102. (866)
866-7437 (toll-free), (703) 821-8955, (703) 821-2098 (fax), sids@circlesolutions.com (e-mail), http://www.sidscenter.org (Web
site).
This document was developed by the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services
Administration (http://www.hrsa.gov),
Maternal and Child Health Bureau under a contract with the
National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)/Infant Death Resource
Center, Contract No. [NIH IDIQ-263-01-D-0208]. The National
SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center is operated by Circle Solutions,
Inc.
National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center
(NSIDRC)
8280 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300
McLean, VA 22102
(703) 821-8955
(866) 866-7437 (toll-free)
(703) 821-2098 (fax)
sids@circlesolutions.com (e-mail)
http://www.sidscenter.org (Web site)
Rev. 2005
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