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Support Groups for Infant Loss

The loss of an infant is devastating to parents and families. As you work your way through the grief and loss, you may seek out others who share in your experiences. There are different support groups around the United States that you can find related to the death of an infant. By finding a support group, you can receive the emotional support from others facing similar family tragedies.

  1. Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss, Inc.

    • Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss, Inc. (nationalshare.org) is an organization that strives to provide support for those who have lost an infant during pregnancy, at birth or in the first few months of life. The focus of Share is to provide a space for healing and to offer information, education and resources to grieving families. Share offers free support groups for bereaved parents, friends or family at its national office in St. Charles, Missouri. The Share website has a list of states that have Share support groups. If your state is not on the list, you can find information on how to start a support group in your area.

    Heartstrings Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support

    • Heartstrings Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support (heartstringsupport.org) is an organization that held its first 12-week program in North Carolina in 2005 to help grieving families cope with the loss of an infant. Heartstrings has trained parents around the United States with the skills to provide support and encouragement to other grieving parents. Currently, Heartstrings has support group meetings in the Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Eden areas of North Carolina. These meetings are open to anyone who has lost a baby from conception to 1 year of age. Meetings are spread out into eight sessions that are held over a 12-week period.

    Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death

    • Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death (MEND) is a nonprofit Christian organization that focuses on helping families who have lost a baby through early infant death, miscarriage or stillbirth. MEND is based in the Dallas/Forth Worth area and hosts five types of support groups in this area. There are three monthly support groups and two quarterly support groups. MEND (mend.org) also offers support groups in other Texas cities such as Houston and Amarillo, along with support groups in Washington, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. MEND has bi-monthly newsletters that reach out to help families in other states and countries.

    MISS Foundation

    • The MISS Foundation (misschildren.org) is a nonprofit international organization that provides support for families that have suffered the death of a child. The MISS Foundation offers online support groups in the "Forums" section of their website. Under the "Group Locator" link on the site, you can search for MISS support groups in your state. You can also locate HOPE Mentors. HOPE Mentors are volunteers who reach out to other bereaved families. The MISS Foundation provides information on how to create a support network and a support group.

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