We honor your baby's life
Losing a child is heartbreaking. Losing a pregnancy or infant can come with additional challenges. It is normal to grieve this painful loss, and the Church embraces you in your sorrow.
Grieving a pregnancy loss can be complicated by the fact that it is hidden and often unknown or invisible to others. Whether or not you choose to share your loss, know that you are not alone.
In the Diocese of Orange, the following are offered to individuals and families who are grieving the loss of a baby.
The Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents serves the spiritual needs of parents whose children of any age have died by any cause, no matter how long ago. Our Diocese of Orange team offers one-day Saturday retreats in English and in Spanish.
Perinatal loss and marriage
Relationships can be impacted by complicated grief. Couples especially may struggle as they share this loss together but grieve in different ways. Relationships can become more strained but do not have to fall apart. It’s important for couples to communicate with one another, honestly and kindly expressing expectations they have for one another, and sharing the feelings that arise from grief. Partners do not always feel the same or find comfort in the same things. Some take longer than others to grieve. With open discussions to better understand how one’s partner grieves and what they are feeling, many couples report growing closer to one another through the process of grieving for their child.
See the USCCB’s resources on Infant and Pregnancy Loss for couples at ForYourMarriage.org.
Additional Catholic resources
- Resources for Pregnancy and Infant Loss compiled by The Emmaus Ministry For Grieving Parents
- Carried With Love by Red Bird Ministries