Bereavement Support
When soldiers and their families come to the hospital it is often for medical concerns or illnesses that creates stress for all involved. How these situations are handled by the hospital personnel can comfort and support the family or can become a customer service issue.
One of the situations that can cause stress, anxiety and deep sadness in our young families can be issues around pregnancy. Miscarriage and infant loss are difficult events for any couple to face, add in being away from home, family and friends, or a spouse being away for deployment can make this event more of a catastrophic situation. How we handle these situations with a young family or any family can comfort or hurt them for a very long time if not forever.
The desire of the OB/GYN clinic is to help families during this time of pregnancy loss.
If you find that you or someone you know has not been offered bereavement support or information about bereavement during pregnancy loss, please notify the OB/GYN clinic so they can contact a trained bereavement support person or someone at one of the below contact numbers.
Contact numbers for information on bereavement support:
Chaplin’s Office—(910) 907-6413
OB/GYN clinic—Advice Nurse--(910) 907-8333 Option # 2,
OB Case Manager—(910) 907-8504
Birthing Unit—(910) 907-7563
Social Work Services--
WAMC 3rd Floor-- (910) 907-7869
Clark Health Clinic--(910) 907-9670
Joel Health Clinic-- (910) 907-9073
Robinson Health Clinic-- (910) 907-9493
Support Groups Available in the Fayetteville Area
AGAPE (910) 907-6413
Meets 4th Tuesday of the month
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Rm. 141, Watters Center
Ft. Bragg, NC
SHARE (910) 609-5465
Meets 2nd Tuesday of the month
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Education Building
Cape Fear Valley Medical Center
Fayetteville, NC
Definition of the Types of Pregnacy Losses and After Delivery Care.
Ectopic pregnancy- implantation of fertilized egg other than in the lining of the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube.
Miscarriage (Fetal death less than 20 weeks)- expulsion of all or any part of the placenta or membranes, with or without an identifiable fetus before the 20th week of gestation or less than 500 gms by weight.
Options to be offered after delivery.
- Blessing or baptism of baby.
- Disposition of baby's remains. Burial/cremation vs. hospital disposition
- Record of footprints and handprints if possible
- Photographs of baby if family desires.
- Bereavement Information packet
Intrauterine Fetal Demise (IUFD): Fetal Death at or greater than 20 weeks.
Stillbirth: Intrauterine Fetal Death greater than 37 weeks.
Live birth- complete expulsion or extraction from the mother. A fetus regardless of the duration of pregnancy, which after delivery, breaths or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscle.
Newborn Death: Infant death within 30 days of birth, or before the infant is discharged from the hospital. A child born alive is regarded to exist if, upon separation from the mother's womb, either the child's heart has been beating or the umbilical cord has been pulsating, or pulmonary respiration has started. A death certificate will be issued in the event of a child's death.
Options to be offered after delivery.
- Compassionate care may be initiated for infants less than 23 weeks or with congenital terminal conditions. *For infants less than 23 weeks, the lungs are too immature to support life.
- Blessing or baptism of infant.
- Photos will be taken.
- Footprints, infant mementos will be collected.
- Disposition of infant remains. Burial/cremation vs. hospital disposition. *Note: any infant greater than 26 weeks gestation is required to be disposed of out of hospital.
- Autopsy of infant may determine cause of death.
- Burial funds may be available from Army Emergency Relief.
- Go to Patient Administration (PAD) to get a copy of “Fetal Death Certificate” after your infant is delivered.
- May be directed to Mortuary Affairs if eligible for death benefits.
- Bereavement Information Packet.