Raising Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness

Overview:

**About PBSO - Perinatal Bereavement Services Ontario** When a pregnancy ends with miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, medical termination, stillbirth or neonatal death, the parents may experience anger, hopelessness, lowered self esteem and other feelings. It is healthy and helpful to allow the parents to feel, name and express their emotions. Holding in feelings may cause delayed grief reactions. The shared grief felt by parents, families and friends will be expressed in different ways. No two people grieve alike. Finding supportive family, friends or professionals, who are able to listen, allows one to grieve in their own way. Taking time to work through grief in a manner that is right for each person promotes healing and health. PBSO provides a variety of unique support services that have been tailored specifically to meet the special needs of perinatally bereaved families. The organization has also grown to include developing and implementing educational training seminars for health care professionals, caregivers, clergy and funeral directors on how to best support these families. **The Project** PBSO proudly provides RTS - Resolve Through Sharing training to Healthcare professionals. RTS training provides Healthcare professionals with the following understanding: - The inclusive definition of Perinatal Grief - That grief is a normal response to the death of a baby through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, medical termination, stillbirth or newborn death - That grief is an individual experience - That disenfranchised grief occurs when loss is not recognized or validated - The intensity of the grief reaction is related to the attachment - That parents work through the tasks of mourning - That phases of bereavement are recognized general patterns of behaviour that all bereaved parents experience in their own unique way - That providing parents with memories facilitates the mourning process - The role of ritual in perinatal Bereavement - The importance of caring for oneself when trying to care for others PBSO would like to ensure that this training is provided to Healthcare professionals all across Ontario.