HAND Services

HAND of the Peninsula provides the following services for grieving parents and their families, volunteers, and health care professionals. There are no fees for HAND services.

• Peer support groups
• Telephone support
• Resource information
• Newsletter
• Lending library
• Community education
• Training program
• Regional & national conferences

Special Needs

Parents that have experienced a pregnancy loss or the loss of an infant have the following very special needs.

• Need to Grieve
• Need for Affirmation
• Need for Reassurance
• Support
  • Things that are not helpful to say:
    • Dispose of the remains
    • You can have other children
    • Would have been abnormal anyway
    • Angel in heaven
    • Was for the best
    • You're lucky you're alive
    • Forget it... put it behind you...
  • Things that may help:
    • I'm sorry...
    • I know that this is a bad time for you...
    • Is there anything that I can do for you...
    • Is there someone who would be helpful to you that I can call...
• Information
  • Side effects of medication
  • Possible engorgement
  • Possible aching arms
  • Possible chest pains
  • Possible heart palpitations
  • Difficulty seeing pregnant women
  • Anniversary of birth and death
• Choices
  • See and hold the baby
  • Name the baby
  • Siblings / Grandparents
  • Baptism / Religious Service
  • Autopsy
  • Maternity / Other Floor
  • Funeral / Memorial service
  • Mementos
    • Photograph
    • Lock of hair
    • Blanket
    • Bracelet
    • Footprints
    • Birth and death certificates
    • Baptismal certificate

Links for Professionals

ASIP: The Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs (ASIP, formerly ASPP, Association of SIDS Program Professionals) is an association of health and human service providers committed to bereavement support and risk reduction activities. ASIP promotes programs of counseling, education, advocacy, and research to ensure a supportive community response for those affected by infant and child death and to reduce the risk of death for future children.

NFIMR: Established in 1990, NFIMR is a resource center providing information and advice about implementing the fetal and infant mortality review (FIMR) method. FIMR is both an on-going community needs assessment and a mechanism to improve health status of women and infants. The resource center provides information on topics such as confidentiality, liability, data collection, home interview techniques, coalition building, taking recommendations to action, coordinating with other local mortality reviews, and using local FIMR information for regional/state assessment and planning. Referrals to expert consultants are available. NFIMR is a collaborative effort between the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

General Links

NLM/NIH Pregnancy Loss: A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, this page provides information on pregnancy loss.

NLM/NIH SIDS: A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, this page provides information on SIDS.

SHARE: SHARE is a not-for-profit nondenominational organization providing support to those whose lives are touched by the tragic death of a baby through early pregnancy loss, stillbirth or newborn death.

Compassionate Friends: 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.

MISS: MISS is a nonprofit, volunteer based organization committed to providing emergency support to families in crisis after the death of their baby or young child from any cause. We are here to help families cope with the resultant feelings of overwhelming grief and loss.