Support & Information Books and resources Resources when a baby or child dies This list includes books and resources for adults, families and children, when a baby or child has died. 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. When a baby has died Memory Folder Author: Child Bereavement UK Available from Child Bereavement UK This folder is for parents and families to keep important information about their baby, including a card for hand and footprints, and a small zip bag for a lock of hair. Farewell My Child Author: Child Bereavement UK Available from Child Bereavement UK A collection of over 25 real stories about life after the death of a child, as told by parents and siblings. The families involved range from those who have lost babies – including through the experience of failed IVF, to those who have experienced the death of adult children; from those whose child died in the last few months to those whose child died over 20 years ago. Unspeakable Losses: Healing from Miscarriage, Abortion, and Other Pregnancy Loss Author: Kim Kluger Bell Buy from Amazon Written by a psychotherapist and counsellor. Approaches for healing for women and men who have experienced miscarriage, abortion, infertility and other pregnancy losses. Mainly for Fathers Available from Sands 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. Fathers Feel Too Author: Andrew Don Buy from Amazon 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. A Silent Sorrow: Pregnancy Loss - Guidance and Support for You and Your Family Author: Ingrid Kohn, Perry Lynn-Moffit and Isabelle Wilkins Buy from Amazon 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. Miscarriage Miscarriage: What Every Woman Needs to Know Author: Lesley Regan Buy from Amazon Factual, frank and hopeful, this book is comprehensive. It is split into four parts, The Basic Facts, Understanding The Causes, Practical Issues and The Next Step. It is described as unpatronising and helpful. Stillbirth and neonatal death When a Baby Dies: The Experience of Late Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Author: Nancy Kohner and Alix Henley Buy from Amazon 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. Losing a Baby Author: Sarah Ewing Buy from Amazon 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. Living with Leo Author: Mario Di Clemente Buy from Amazon Leonardo Di Clemente was born on 27th January 2003 and died the following day. Leo’s father, Mario, has written movingly of his experience of prospective fatherhood and the distress of bereavement. Twelve letters written over a year, from a father to his son, tell the story of Mario’s life with Leo: of the excitement and anticipation, the grief and loss, and perhaps most important of all, the emergence of strength and hope. Ending a pregnancy (termination) ARC Publications Order from Antenatal Results and Choices The charity Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) offer a range of leaflets, including a “Parent’s Handbook”; “Help for Fathers”; “Help for Grandparents”; “Talking to Children” When a child of any age has died Farewell My Child Author: Child Bereavement UK Available from Child Bereavement UK A collection of over 25 stories about life after the death of a child, as told in the first person by parents and siblings. Ranging from those who have lost babies, including through the trauma of failed IVF, to those who have experienced the death of adult children; from those whose child died in the last few months to those whose child died over 20 years ago. Losing a child Author: Linda Hurcombe Buy from Amazon This book gives an understanding of how grieving for a child can affect every member of the family, and the relationships between the surviving members. It goes on to explain the different types of support available, and how they can be accessed. A special chapter deals specifically with the death of a baby. The Bereaved Parent Author: Harriet Sarnoff Schiff Buy from Amazon Having lost her own 10 year old after major surgery, Harriet Sarnoff Schiff developed, by trial and error, a way of coping with the bereavement. She offers this guide to the many parents who have to deal with tragic loss and the necessary bereavement. Poetry Don't Let Them Tell You How to Grieve Author: Gina Claye Buy from Amazon 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. Losing Liam Author: Sue Bracknell Available from Child Bereavement UK Poems written following the author's son’s suicide in 2003, helping her to connect with him and to grieve. Support for children when a baby has died Supporting children when a baby has died Available from Sands Booklet mainly for parents but useful for anyone who comes into contact with a child whose baby brother or sister has died before, at, or soon after birth. It includes information about the needs of older children and teenagers bereaved in this way. Andrew’s Rainbow Book Available from the Scottish Cot Death Trust A book for children born into a family after the death of a sibling. My Baby Big Sister Author: Cathy Blanford. Buy from Amazon My Baby Big Sister was written for children who were born subsequent to a pregnancy loss or infant death. This book aims to help with the confusion these children often experience when they learn about the baby who died before them. This book does have some religious overtones at the start. A Star for Bobby Author: Helen Keenor Buy from Sands A Star for Bobby talks directly to young children, using language and illustrations they can understand, about the death of a brother or sister, explaining why sometimes these things happen and how this may be making them feel. When the author’s baby son died shortly after birth she wanted to explain to her two year old daughter what had happened in a way a little child could understand. We were gonna have a baby, but we had an angel instead Author: Pat Schwiebert Buy from Amazon A story for young children about a little boy who was going to have a baby brother or sister, but sadly the baby died. The author, has worked with bereaved families in America for a number of years, and at the back of the book there is a short section for parents about how to help their children, as well as suggestions of things to do to remember the baby. Goodbye Baby Author: Gillian Griffiths Buy from Amazon Goodbye Baby provides comfort, understanding and reassurance for young children who have been affected by the death of a baby in the family. Rory’s Star Author: Lynda Bathgate Available from the Scottish Cot Death Trust This book has been written to help parents explain the death of their baby or child to their siblings. All Shining in the Spring Author: Siobhan Parkinson Buy from Amazon Matthew is looking forward to the new baby. He is planning how he will help with looking after his little brother or sister and the games they will play when the baby is older. Then there is sad news. The doctor tells Matthew’s parents that the baby is not growing properly inside its mother and will not be able to live after it is born. All Shining in the Spring is a child-centred, simply-written book. It is intended to give a child a clear and sympathetic understanding of the death of a baby, whether or not the baby is a family member. Always my Twin Author: Valerie R. Samuels Buy from Amazon Always My Twin is for young children who have experienced the death of their twin sibling before birth, after birth or as a young child. The book tells the story through the eyes of a young girl whose twin sister dies shortly after birth. She begins her story with sharing the womb with her twin, the joy of her family anticipating the arrival of twins, the family’s pain of losing one of their precious babies, the funeral, and her own expressions of grief for her twin’s death. It also talks about ways she and her family remember her twin.