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Resources for Health Care and Service Professionals

This section has been created to support and equip health care and service professionals with the resources and information needed to provide skilled and compassionate care to families who have experienced a pregnancy loss, stillbirth or the death of their infant.

Resources include suggestions for communication, memory making, forming bereavement committees, and practical information and handouts for families (lactation after loss, employment leave, etc.).  

Care & Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Family Support services remain available to people who have experienced the loss of their pregnancy or the death of their baby. We have online support groups, a private Facebook group, and a website with resources for families and professionals.

 

Caring for Care Providers

Caring for care providers: tips and information

Pregnancy Loss

Quality Standard

Ontario Health (Quality) and the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Network have released a quality standard outlining quality care for people experiencing early pregnancy complications and/or loss.
It includes a conversation guide to help patients ask informed if they are in their first trimester, have pain, or bleeding, or think a miscarriage may be happening.  View guide.

Download the following resources to see what steps you can take to improve care:

Quality Standard

 

 

 

Patient Guide

 

 

 

Quality Standard Placemat for Early Pregnancy Complication and Loss

 

 

 

Stillbirth

Infant Loss

Pregnancy After Loss Support

Supporting families after a loss

Memory Making

Many families find it important to recognize, honour and remember their baby in both public and private ways. There are many ways that a family can commemorate their love and continue their connection to their baby.

As healthcare professionals, you can help the family in the creation of memorial rituals and objects. Your presence and participation helps validate that a significant loss has occurred. 

Hand and Foot Mould Instructional Video

Toolkit for Professionals

This section contains suggestions for hospital-specific practices that promote skilled and compassionate care for families who are experiencing pregnancy or infant loss.  Here you will find information for hospital staff looking to develop bereavement support systems within their organizations.

Traditional Healing Supports

Finding meaningful support can be challenging, especially when you are grieving. PAIL Network has compiled a listing of resources in communities across Ontario that may offer crisis support as well as other meaningful connections with other services for Indigenous families at no cost. This list can be downloaded and printed, or you can access the links directly to the resources within the document. This list will be reviewed annually, and any additions or corrections can be sent to pailvolunteer@sunnybrook.ca

Please note that PAIL Network has provided these resources for information only and cannot endorse or recommend specific organizations.

Newsletter for Professionals

At PAIL Network, we want to keep in touch with professionals who support families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss in Ontario. In an effort to capture important pieces of information for you in one place, we have put together these newsletters.

December 2022
October 2022
June 2022
December 2021
December 2023

Share your feedback about our resources

We’re always looking for ways to better support care professionals in providing the best care for people experiencing pregnancy or infant loss. Share your thoughts about the resources provided, and let us know if there’s anything you’d like to see in the future.