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  1. FAQs

When a baby or child has died

These books and resources may be helpful for parents who have been bereaved of a baby or child.

For further help in finding resources, email [email protected] or call our Helpline on 0800 02 888 40.

Please note: Inclusion on this list does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement by Child Bereavement UK, as we are aware that whether a book is helpful or not is subjective and as such is a decision that can only be made by the individual reader.

Pregnancy loss, miscarriage and neonatal death

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A Silent Sorrow: Pregnancy Loss - Guidance and Support for You and Your Family

Ingrid Kohn, Perry Lynn-Moffit and Isabelle Wilkins   

For families seeking emotional and practical support after a pregnancy loss. Well organised and easy to read this book offers practical suggestions for the many topics covered. They include bereaved mothers, fathers, grandparents, explaining to your children and what might help. Sections can be read as and when bereaved parents feel able.

Buy from Amazon

Fathers Feel Too: A Book for Men by Men on Coping with the Death of a Baby

Andrew Don

When Andrew Don’s baby Lara Jean died at five months in the womb, the hospital consultant sent his wife a condolence letter which didn’t mention him. Andrew felt like a non-person. Seven years on he turned his experience into a book telling the stories of 10 men who have lost babies either during pregnancy, at birth or during the first year of life.

Buy from Amazon

Mainly for Fathers 

A short booklet containing information that many fathers whose baby has died said they needed to know. It includes sections on feelings, telling other people, you and your partner, returning to work, certificates and registration.

Available from Sands

Unspeakable Losses: Healing from Miscarriage, Abortion, and Other Pregnancy Loss

Kim Kluger Bell

Written by a psychotherapist and counsellor. Approaches for healing for women and men who have experienced miscarriage, abortion, infertility and other pregnancy losses.

Buy from Amazon

When your baby dies: a particular kind of grief 

Child Bereavement UK

Practical advice and guidance for parents at the time of their baby's death in hospital. Information space included for local sources of support to be added by the professional caring for the parents. 

A print-friendly guide is free to download from here
Printed booklets are also available to buy from Child Bereavement UK

When a Baby Dies: The Experience of Late Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death

Nancy Kohner and Alix Henley   

In this book, parents who have lost a baby tell their stories. They speak about what happened, how they felt, how others have helped them and how they helped themselves. Using letters from and interviews with many bereaved parents, Nancy Kohner and Alix Henley have written a book that offers understanding of what it means to lose a baby and the grief that follows.

Buy from Amazon

Published: 5th December, 2022

Updated: 7th December, 2022

Author:

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When a baby dies

Expand

A Silent Sorrow: Pregnancy Loss - Guidance and Support for You and Your Family

Ingrid Kohn, Perry Lynn-Moffit and Isabelle Wilkins   

For families seeking emotional and practical support after a pregnancy loss. Well organised and easy to read this book offers practical suggestions for the many topics covered. They include bereaved mothers, fathers, grandparents, explaining to your children and what might help. Sections can be read as and when bereaved parents feel able.

Buy from Amazon

Fathers Feel Too: A Book for Men by Men on Coping with the Death of a Baby

Andrew Don

When Andrew Don’s baby Lara Jean died at five months in the womb, the hospital consultant sent his wife a condolence letter which didn’t mention him. Andrew felt like a non-person. Seven years on he turned his experience into a book telling the stories of 10 men who have lost babies either during pregnancy, at birth or during the first year of life.

Buy from Amazon

Losing a Baby

Sarah Ewing   

This book is for those parents coping with the death of a young child. It’s written for the parents of babies who die before the age of two, as well as babies born prematurely who might have lived, but not early miscarriages. This book covers: the first few days; practicalities (arranging the funeral etc); adjusting to the reality of the death; coping as a couple; what to tell your other children; dealing with the outside world; getting counselling and support; traditional remedies and complementary therapies.

Buy from Amazon

Mainly for Fathers 

A short booklet containing information that many fathers whose baby has died said they needed to know. It includes sections on feelings, telling other people, you and your partner, returning to work, certificates and registration.

Available from Sands

Unspeakable Losses: Healing from Miscarriage, Abortion, and Other Pregnancy Loss

Kim Kluger Bell

Written by a psychotherapist and counsellor. Approaches for healing for women and men who have experienced miscarriage, abortion, infertility and other pregnancy losses.

Buy from Amazon

When a Baby Dies: The Experience of Late Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death

Nancy Kohner and Alix Henley   

In this book, parents who have lost a baby tell their stories. They speak about what happened, how they felt, how others have helped them and how they helped themselves. Using letters from and interviews with many bereaved parents, Nancy Kohner and Alix Henley have written a book that offers understanding of what it means to lose a baby and the grief that follows.

Buy from Amazon

When your baby dies: a particular kind of grief 

Child Bereavement UK

Practical advice and guidance for parents at the time of their baby's death in hospital. Information space included for local sources of support to be added by the professional caring for the parents. 

A print-friendly guide is free to download from here
Printed booklets are also available to buy from Child Bereavement UK

When Words are not Enough: Creative Responses to Grief

Jane Harris

Everyone grieves for someone at some point in their lives. But how do we deal with the silence that often surrounds grief? How do we find ways to express painful feelings when words are not enough? In this deeply personal and beautiful reflection on grief Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds draw on their own experience of loss, and how the death of their son Josh has led to a creative response that is more than word bound.

Available from Amazon

Published: 4th December, 2022

Updated: 8th December, 2022

Author:

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When a child of any age dies

Expand

A Heart That Works

Rob Delaney

In this devastating, beautiful and deeply moving memoir of the loss of his son, Rob Delaney explores what life really means, and why it matters. This is the story of what happens when you lose a child, and everything you discover about life in the process. Why does he feel compelled to talk about it, to write about it, to disseminate information designed to make people feel something like what he felt? What his wife feels? What his other sons feel? Done properly or well, it will hurt them. Why does he want to hurt people? Because, despite the death of his son, Rob still loves people. For that reason, he wants them to understand.

Available from Amazon

Don't Let Them Tell You How to Grieve: Lines to let you know you are not alone

Gina Claye   

Poems written by a mother who experienced the sudden deaths of her 19-year-old daughter by suicide and her 32-year-old son from encephalitis.

Available from Amazon

GriefWorks app

Julia Samuel 

Drawing on Child Bereavement UK’s Founder Patron Julia Samuel’s 30 years of experience as a leading grief therapist, the GriefWorks app was designed to effectively address the full range of emotions surrounding grief. The app pairs Julia’s advice with actionable practices and exercises, gently nudging you to record and examine your own thoughts and feelings. The app also offers more than 30 interactive tools including breathing visualisation exercises, guided meditations, daily gratitude check-ins, prompted evening reflections, and more.

Available on Apple Store and Google Play Store.£49.99 for 3 months. Get a 10% discount when using this link.

How to Get to Grips with Grief: 40 Ways to Manage the Unmanageable

James Withey

This book is for anyone who has lost someone. It may have been recently, or it may have been years ago, but still it stings like it was yesterday. In his twenty years supporting people with their own grief, as a counsellor and social care worker, he has helped others work through their despair and reconcile the injustice of grief.

With his trademark humour and warmth, he provides forty ways to help you live with and manage your grief no matter what stage you're at. It provides comfort for when it all gets too much, ideas for when you feel at a loss for what to do and more than a laugh or two to balance out the sadness.

Available from Amazon

Losing Liam

Sue Bracknell   

Poems written following the author's son’s suicide in 2003, helping her to connect with him and to grieve. 

Buy from Child Bereavement UK   

When Words are not Enough: Creative Responses to Grief

Jane Harris

Everyone grieves for someone at some point in their lives. But how do we deal with the silence that often surrounds grief? How do we find ways to express painful feelings when words are not enough? In this deeply personal and beautiful reflection on grief Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds draw on their own experience of loss, and how the death of their son Josh has led to a creative response that is more than word bound.

Available from Amazon

You Are Not Alone

Cariad Lloyd

In You Are Not Alone, Cariad shares all that she has learned from presenting her podcast, Griefcast. She reflects on her own grief, the grief of others, and the psychology and science behind how our society deals with death and loss. Funeral thoughts, therapy, coping with anniversaries, bad friends, good friends, birthdays, weddings, missing them, not missing them - this is grief in all its sad, surprising, awkward, tender and sometimes funny forms. 

You Are Not Alone is a road map for all of us: for anybody who has ever felt lost in grief, who would like to help someone they know through theirs, or who just wants to understand life a little better. 

Available on Amazon

Published: 3rd December, 2022

Updated: 13th March, 2023

Author:

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    Contact one of the Child Bereavement UK centres or get in touch with one of our departments.

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    Sudden death - including accidents, suicide and homicide

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Child Bereavement UK Death of a baby Death of a parent Explaining death to children films Glasgow Information Sheet 2020 Nursery teacher parenting a bereaved child returning to school short film short guidance films Stillbirth Watford Young People's Advisory Group YPAG
Short guidance films

Short guidance films

Our short films are delivered by support practitioners and cover a range of topics on grief and bereavement, providing guidance on what can help. Read more

Published: 25th March, 2019

Updated: 1st December, 2021

Author: Robin Ngai

Books and resources

Books and resources

A list of books and resources relating to grief and bereavement and what may help. Read more

Published: 21st October, 2021

Updated: 30th November, 2021

Author: Harriet Hieatt-Smith

Others' experiences

Others' experiences

Some bereaved families find it helpful to read about other peoples’ experiences and how the support they have received has helped them. Read more

Published: 30th November, 2021

Updated: 1st December, 2021

Author: Emma Van Allan

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