Perinatal Palliative Care
Perinatal Palliative Care: Support for Every Step of Your Journey
Receiving a life-limiting or fatal diagnosis for your baby can feel overwhelming. You may be faced with unexpected decisions while trying to process complex emotions and medical information. No matter what path you choose, you deserve compassionate, individualized support.
Perinatal palliative care focuses on supporting you, your baby, and your family from the time of diagnosis through the journey ahead. Our hope is that these resources help you feel informed, supported, and empowered to make the decisions that are right for you and your family.
What is Perinatal Palliative Care?
Perinatal palliative care is a family-centered approach that supports families after receiving a life-limiting or fatal fetal diagnosis. It focuses on providing medical information, emotional support, guidance in decision-making, and opportunities to create meaningful memories throughout your journey.
Whether you choose to continue your pregnancy or end your pregnancy for medical reasons, perinatal palliative care is centered on honoring your values, supporting your decisions, and helping you care for yourself, your baby, and your family.
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- Take a breath—there is no need to make every decision today
- Learn about your baby's diagnosis
- Write down questions for your healthcare team
- Ask about perinatal palliative care services
- Connect with a support person or support organization
- Begin exploring birth planning and memory-making options
Continuing a Pregnancy with a Life-Limiting Diagnosis
If you have chosen to continue your pregnancy, this section provides guidance on understanding your baby's diagnosis, preparing for birth, parenting your baby, memory-making, and navigating the days, weeks, and months ahead.
Ending Your Wanted Pregnancy
If you have chosen to end your wanted pregnancy for medical reasons, this section provides information about your options, what to expect, physical recovery, grief, memory-making, and resources to support you throughout your healing journey.
Emotional Support
No matter what path you choose, caring for your emotional well-being is important. This section offers guidance on understanding your emotions, caring for yourself, leaning on others, finding support, and navigating grief throughout your journey.
A Gentle Reminder
Every family's journey is different. There is no "right" way to navigate this experience, and there is no timeline for your grief or healing. Whatever decisions you make are made out of love for your baby.
We hope these resources provide comfort, guidance, and reassurance as you move through this journey. Above all, we want you to know that you are not alone.