What To Do
Naming My Baby
Burial Resources
Parish Support
How to Explain to Siblings
Financial Assistance
Prayers, Novenas, and Devotions
Supporting a Friend
Additional Resources

What to do and what to expect after infant loss

First, please know that none of these suggestions or resources are required. These are simply a list of resources available to you in this difficult time.

We are so sorry for your loss. We hope these resources are helpful as you navigate this difficult time.

If you need more general information, this page offers straightforward steps for a range of situations. Another helpful place for information is Catholic Miscarriage Support.

    • if you are unsure what to expect or need more specific details, Lost Innocents Blog has an extensive blog post about the process of miscarrying a baby. Please note: this blog includes graphic language and photographs in order to provide women direct information about the miscarriage process.

Naming Your Baby

You can name your baby.

Sancta Nomina has a list of name suggestions for miscarried or stillborn babies.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has a prayer booklet for The Naming and Commendation of an Infant who Died Before Birth. You can ask your parish priest to pray this with you.

Burying Your Child

If you have remains to bury, Heaven’s Gain Ministry offers caskets and urns among several other resources. A Moms Peace also provides resources for burial.

If you do not have a local Catholic cemetery, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe has a Memorial to the Unborn where you can entomb the remains of your baby. If you do not have remains to bury, you can also enroll your baby’s name in their digital wall.

The Shrine of the Holy Innocents is the World’s only Shrine of the Unborn and you can add your child to their Book of Life. Once they receive your information, you will receive a certificate for you to save as a keepsake.

For a safe place to ask questions and receive input from other parents who have lost babies, consider joining this Facebook Group. Eileen Tully also hosts a private community with retreats and workshops to help mothers heal emotionally after losing a child.

If you are struggling to explain infant loss to your living children, we created this picture book as a way to explain the role their lost sibling has now. It includes a dedication page where you can add your lost baby’s name. Red Bird Ministry offers extensive support to grieving families after an infant loss.

    Financial Assistance

    If you need assistance covering hospital bills or funeral costs, Benjamin’s Gift and The Fletcher Foundation are both ministries that provide financial assistance to families.

    The Trappist Monks at New Melleray Abbey have a special Child Casket Fund where benefactors donate to help alleviate stress on families. Please reach out to the New Melleray Abbey for more information.

    How to Explain Infant Loss to Children

    It is incredibly difficult to explain infant loss to older siblings. 

    If you are struggling to explain to your older children why their sibling is gone, this picture book is a gentle way to help them through grief.

    Little Jellybean, nicknamed by her family, experiences an exciting world of sound and sensations inside her mother’s womb, encountering the voices and personalities of her loving family. Just when she has nearly outgrown her mother’s belly, a surprising visitor guides her to a new home. 

    There, Jellybean is given a mission to help her family find meaning in their loss and ultimately join her in the presence of God. 

    “I read this book and broke down in tears. I had an early miscarriage, and this was such a beautiful way to envision that loss,” said Kelly, a mother of a miscarried baby. After reading this book, another mother said, “After I stopped crying, I thought of friends and relatives who would do well with this book. Jellybean will speak to those who have miscarried at any stage and those who have lost full term babies, infants, and even young children. We need help explaining and remembering God’s hand in the matter.”

    Jellybean includes a dedication page where you can include the name of your lost infant and a prayer from the Liturgy for the Funeral of a Child Who Died before Baptism. 

    Support from your Parish

    You can ask your parish priest to have a Mass said (Funeral for Children who Died before Baptism liturgy). You will usually be asked for the name of your baby to be included in the prayers of the Mass.

    If having a Mass said is not an option, the Church has a special prayer for parents who have experienced an Infant Loss. You can ask your priest to pray this over you.

     

    Parish Priests–here are some helpful ways to support your parishioners going through an infant loss:

    You can offer this blessing to parents who have lost a child.

    You can offer the order for the naming and commendation of an infant who died before birth (Archdiocese of St. Louis)

    You can offer a Funeral for Children who Died before Baptism liturgy.

    You can find lots of resources from the following Dioceses:

    Prayers, Novenas, and Devotions

     

     

      How to help a friend after a loss

        Book Resources

        Jellybean: A Baby’s Journey to God

        • If you are struggling to explain to your older children why their sibling is gone, this picture book is a gentle way to help them through grief.

        After Miscarriage: A Catholic Woman’s Companion to Healing and Hope

        Nursery of Heaven

        In Heaven, We Will Meet Again

        The Grief of Dads: Hope and Support for Catholic Fathers Navigating Child Loss

        Praying with Our Lady of Sorrows: Meditations for Grieving Mothers

        A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss

        Grieving Together: A Couple’s Journey Through Miscarriage