Support Groups
Northside Hospital Perinatal Loss Support Groups
Our meetings are adult self-help groups (held in English) and are lead by a trained facilitator from the PNL Office. There is no charge to attend, and reservations are not required. Childcare is NOT provided.
• Caring and Coping is our support group for parents and grandparents who have lost a baby due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, and newborn death. Meetings are held the 2nd Monday of every month from 7-9 pm in the Northside Behavioral Health building, close to the hospital campus.
Pregnancy after Loss is our support group for those who are experiencing a subsequent pregnancy following the loss of a baby. Meeting will be held in the Interchange building, room 424, one Tuesday of each month, from 10am until noon. The next meetings will be held on 2/14 and 3/13.
Loss in Multiple Birth Group is our support group for those who have lost one or more multiples. Meetings will be held in the Interchange building, room 426 one Wednesday of each month, from 10am until noon. The next meetings will be held on 2/22.
H.E.A.R.T.strings Lunch Bunch is a group for families who are either expecting a baby with a life-limiting diagnosis or who have delivered a baby who has passed away from a life-limiting diagnosis. Bring a lunch and join us! We will meet one Friday a month in the Interchange building, room 425. Upcoming dates and times to be announced soon.
Please note: Time to Heal support group will no longer be held on the the 3rd Monday night of the month. If you have had to make the difficult and painful decision to end a wanted pregnancy due to a poor prenatal diagnosis for their baby and you would like to meet with others in a support group setting, please contact us. We can refer you to other area support groups. If the interest in this support group grows, we will gladly offer it again. Please continue to check the website for more updates.
Caring and Coping support group will continue to meet as usual. Please note that Caring and Coping does NOT meet in the hospital, but meets in the Northside Hospital Behavioral Health building close to campus. Please see below for directions.
Our other support groups meet in the Interchange building next to the hospital campus. Click on the link below for driving directions.
Description of Northside Hospital Perinatal Loss Support Groups
Northside Hospital offers several support group meetings. Meetings do not require membership, are free, and are open to any bereaved parents (whether you had your baby or your loss at Northside Hospital or not). Bereaved grandparents are also welcome to attend. Moms and dads may attend together or individually. Reservations are not required.
Our groups meet once a month and can be joined at any time. Some people choose to attend shortly after their loss and others wait a few months or even longer. You can attend as few or as many times as you like. In addition, it’s not required that you attend each month.
Each meeting begins with a short introduction given by the facilitator (a trained professional from the Perinatal Loss Office). Then, each person is invited to share their story, tell about their baby, ask questions, or discuss any topics in which they have an interest or need. Many times, we discuss the differences in how women and men grieve, coping with family/friends, creating memories, returning to work, due dates, holidays, baby’s birthday, grief reactions such as anger and depression, ways to express and deal with grief, and pregnancy after loss. Interaction among the group is encouraged, however, no one is required to participate more than what is comfortable.
Other organizations, churches, and volunteer-groups may offer support groups in your area or on the internet. Some groups may focus on a particular topic during each meeting, have guest speakers, discuss a book, or be specifically for women only or couples only. In addition, some faith-based groups may include Bible Study or prayer.
Northside Hospital offers several support group meetings. Meetings do not require membership, are free, and are open to any bereaved parents (whether you had your baby or your loss at Northside Hospital or not). Bereaved grandparents are also welcome to attend. Moms and dads may attend together or individually. Reservations are not required.
Our groups meet once a month and can be joined at any time. Some people choose to attend shortly after their loss and others wait a few months or even longer. You can attend as few or as many times as you like. In addition, it’s not required that you attend each month.
Each meeting begins with a short introduction given by the facilitator (a trained professional from the Perinatal Loss Office). Then, each person is invited to share their story, tell about their baby, ask questions, or discuss any topics in which they have an interest or need. Many times, we discuss the differences in how women and men grieve, coping with family/friends, creating memories, returning to work, due dates, holidays, baby’s birthday, grief reactions such as anger and depression, ways to express and deal with grief, and pregnancy after loss. Interaction among the group is encouraged, however, no one is required to participate more than what is comfortable.
Other organizations, churches, and volunteer-groups may offer support groups in your area or on the internet. Some groups may focus on a particular topic during each meeting, have guest speakers, discuss a book, or be specifically for women only or couples only. In addition, some faith-based groups may include Bible Study or prayer.
Location and Driving Directions for Our Support Groups:
Caring and Coping meets in the Northside Behavioral Health building near the hospital campus, the other groups meet in the Interchange building (directions for both locations are below)
Click here to get driving directions from Google Maps.
Here are some articles regarding support groups, including their purpose, how they may be helpful, some reasons why people attend/don't attend, and a description of our groups. In addition, you will find information about other local and internet groups.
Why Perinatal Grief is So Complicated and How Support Groups May Help
A wife who loses a husband is called a widow. A husband who loses a wife is called a widower. A child who loses his parents is called an orphan. But...there is no word for a parent who loses a child, that's how awful the loss is! (Neugeboren)
When a loved one dies, each person reacts differently. Individual responses are influenced by many factors including the person's life experiences, coping skills, personality, age, gender, family and cultural background, support and/or belief systems, and even the death or the type of death that occurred. Even though each person experiences grief in his/her own way, many parents who are grieving the loss of a baby express common responses such as shock, sadness, confusion, and dismay. Sometimes, parents may not even seem sure of who they are and may feel as if they have lost an integral part of their very being. Such a devastating loss often provokes a sense that the pain will last forever, a sense that the grief is etched into one's very being.
As part of the grieving process, bereaved parents experience ups and downs and a literal roller coaster of emotions. For most grieving parents, it is vitally important to verbalize the pain, to talk about what happened, to ask questions, and puzzle aloud, sometimes over and over. Bereavement experts explain that it is very important for parents to express their emotions and feelings outwardly so that they will not turn inward and possibly become a destructive force in the future.
Grief is a complicated, evolving human process. Its universality binds sufferers together. More is shared than is different. (Arnold & Gemma)
Grieving parents often feel alone, disconnected, and alienated. For many, the death of a child is such an overwhelming event that responses may often be baffling not only to others but to themselves as well. Emotional, spiritual, and physical reactions may seem overly intense, contradictory, or even puzzling. There is nothing that can prepare a parent for its enormity or devastation or for the fact that grief never ends but only changes in intensity and manner of expression. Grief affects the head, the heart, and the spirit.
The death of a child is “unnatural” and shocking. Children are supposed to outlive their parents. The loss of an unborn or newly born baby is also the loss of hopes, dreams, and plans. It means coming to terms with untold emptiness and deep emotional hurt. Immediately after the death, some parents may even find it impossible to express grief at all as many experience a period of shock and numbness. Parents must find ways to get through, not over, their grief.
Support groups can provide something that can’t be found in individual counseling or on your own. They provide a safe haven where no explanations are necessary, and grief doesn’t have to be defended. Bereaved parents treat each other with dignity and respect. There is no fear of judgment, and grief is not avoided or evaded.
Research has shown that a person's ability to satisfactorily resolve his/her grief issues is in direct proportion to his/her finding suitable ways to express their feelings. Self-help support groups provide a valuable means of understanding, sharing, and resolving painful feelings. These groups are usually made up of parents helping other grieving parents and may be facilitated by a professional. Although individual experiences may be different, the common bond these parents share are their feelings. An individual’s healing will be helped by sharing with and learning from the experience of others.
Participants learn that grief is a process and that certain symptoms and responses are common. Grief makes you feel crazy but that doesn’t mean you are insane. A down day is not a relapse, and a good day is not a cure. Other people may say horrible things when attempting to comfort you. There are techniques that can be used to help yourself. The sun will shine again, and moving forward doesn’t mean that you will forget your baby or stop loving your baby. Guidance, support, and mutual understanding are obtained from others who have also "been there." Parents learn to be compassionate, gentle, and patient with themselves and each other.
Support groups provide an opportunity to share feelings and emotions with people who will understand and acknowledge what you are feeling and saying. Parents can allow themselves to cry, be angry, and complain. They can admit they are overwhelmed, distracted, and unable to focus or concentrate. They can admit to themselves and others any physical and emotional symptoms that they can’t explain or understand.
Probably the most important step for parents in their grief journey is to allow themselves to heal. Parents need to come to understand that healing doesn't mean forgetting. They need to be good to themselves and absolve themselves from guilt. They should not be afraid to let grief loosen its grip on them when the time comes. Easing away from intense grief may sometimes cause pain, fear, and guilt for a while, but eventually, it usually allows parents to come to a new and more peaceful place in their journey. Allowing grief's place to become a lesser one does not mean abandoning the child who died. Realize that your grief is born out of unconditional love for your child and rejoice in that love which will never end. Embracing life again is not a sign that you have stopped missing your baby, but an example of a love that is eternal.
Why Attend a Support
Group?
The purpose of our support group is to provide an atmosphere where grieving parents with similar experiences can come together and share their feelings about their loss and the love for their babies.
It is also a place where parents express the love they had for their baby in their compassion for others, where they can give and receive emotional support by sharing common experiences, and learn about the natural grief process while learning to live with their loss.
“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares...”
(Henri Nouwen, from Out of Solitude)
Grieving people most often need others to simply listen and care, not offer a lot of advice. Many times, people who have not personally experienced a similar kind of loss don’t ‘get” what you are going through. In support group, feelings and emotions are not rushed, there are no expectations to “put on a happy face,” and there is a mutual understanding that while we cannot ease another’s pain, we can be present with them and acknowledge how difficult this is.
People often wonder what happens at support group meetings. Are you required to talk? Can your partner attend with you? Will the meeting provide comfort and reassurance, or will listening to the stories of others leave me more sad, angry, or anxious? The truth is, no one WANTS to be at a support group meeting. It’s like joining a club or a religion to which you never wanted to subscribe. Once you get there, you realize it’s a place of comfort, camaraderie, and understanding. There are silent nods in agreement, shared tears, and affirmation of feelings.
What are some reasons people fear or avoid grief support groups?
I didn’t want other people to see me cry.
I did not want to be reminded of my feelings because it hurt too much.
I thought I should be able to figure this out on my own.
My family will help me to get through this.
I will get over this eventually.
I am seeing a therapist.
There is no cure, no magic solution, or any words that will make the pain stop. However, there are people out there who will listen to your story, share their story, and help you through a difficult time with their support and caring.
Other Local and Internet
Support Groups
SHARE Atlanta:
Nonprofit organization that offers local support groups, online message boards, workshops, and memorial opportunities. Website: www.shareatlanta.org Phone: (770) 928-9603
Seeds of Hope:
A Jewish prayer and support group for women coping with infertility, pregnancy loss, infant loss or high-risk pregnancies. Phone: (770) 933-0081, ext 13
Joy in the Mourning:
A group that speaks to the needs of the African-American community. Phone: (404) 501-WELL
The Link Counseling Center:
Support groups for adults, children, and teens. Website: www.thelink.org Phone: 404-256-9797
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (at Scottish Rite):
Parent, sibling, and teen bereavement support groups. Phone: (404) 785-2175
H.O.P.E. (Helping Other Parents Endure):
The First Baptist Church of Marietta offers support for parents who have lost a child by stillbirth, miscarriage, catastrophic illness or accident. For information about support services, please call Reverend Dean Hunter at (770) 424-8326.
CLIMB:
CLIMB is the Center for Loss in Multiple Birth, Inc. It is made up of parents throughout the United States,Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond who have experienced the death of one or more, both or all of their twins or higher multiples at any time from conception through birth, infancy and childhood. For more information, access their website at www.climb-support.org.
Compassionate Parents (DeKalb Medical Center):
Provides support and understanding to parents whose infants have died. Call (404) 501-5400 for more information.
Grief Group (DeKalb Medical Center):
A growth program for people dealing with types and stages of grief and the spiritual and practical issues involved. Separate sessions for adolescents are available. Call (404) 501-5701 for more information.
Rainbows
Support for preschool-age to young adult. Call for dates, times, and locations. (678) 686-9655 http://www.rainbows.org/
The House Next Door/The Link:
Support for all ages. Call (404) 256-9797 for more information.
Ebenezer United Methodist Church (Rockdale County):
Adult and perinatal bereavement. Call for dates and times. (770) 815-2683 or (770) 786-6753
The Compassionate Friends:
For information about their Atlanta chapters, go to http://www.tcfatlanta.org/
GriefShare:
To find a local group, go to http://www.griefshare.org/findagroup/
Kate's Club:
Kate’s Club is a non-profit organization that empowers children and teens facing life after the death of a parent or sibling. For information go to http://www.katesclub.org/index.htm
Nonprofit organization that offers local support groups, online message boards, workshops, and memorial opportunities. Website: www.shareatlanta.org Phone: (770) 928-9603
Seeds of Hope:
A Jewish prayer and support group for women coping with infertility, pregnancy loss, infant loss or high-risk pregnancies. Phone: (770) 933-0081, ext 13
Joy in the Mourning:
A group that speaks to the needs of the African-American community. Phone: (404) 501-WELL
The Link Counseling Center:
Support groups for adults, children, and teens. Website: www.thelink.org Phone: 404-256-9797
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (at Scottish Rite):
Parent, sibling, and teen bereavement support groups. Phone: (404) 785-2175
H.O.P.E. (Helping Other Parents Endure):
The First Baptist Church of Marietta offers support for parents who have lost a child by stillbirth, miscarriage, catastrophic illness or accident. For information about support services, please call Reverend Dean Hunter at (770) 424-8326.
CLIMB:
CLIMB is the Center for Loss in Multiple Birth, Inc. It is made up of parents throughout the United States,Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond who have experienced the death of one or more, both or all of their twins or higher multiples at any time from conception through birth, infancy and childhood. For more information, access their website at www.climb-support.org.
Compassionate Parents (DeKalb Medical Center):
Provides support and understanding to parents whose infants have died. Call (404) 501-5400 for more information.
Grief Group (DeKalb Medical Center):
A growth program for people dealing with types and stages of grief and the spiritual and practical issues involved. Separate sessions for adolescents are available. Call (404) 501-5701 for more information.
Rainbows
Support for preschool-age to young adult. Call for dates, times, and locations. (678) 686-9655 http://www.rainbows.org/
The House Next Door/The Link:
Support for all ages. Call (404) 256-9797 for more information.
Ebenezer United Methodist Church (Rockdale County):
Adult and perinatal bereavement. Call for dates and times. (770) 815-2683 or (770) 786-6753
The Compassionate Friends:
For information about their Atlanta chapters, go to http://www.tcfatlanta.org/
GriefShare:
To find a local group, go to http://www.griefshare.org/findagroup/
Kate's Club:
Kate’s Club is a non-profit organization that empowers children and teens facing life after the death of a parent or sibling. For information go to http://www.katesclub.org/index.htm
