Companioning at a Time of Perinatal Loss A Guide for Nurses, Physicians, Social Workers, Chaplains and Other Bedside Caregivers

The obstetrics unit is the only hospital environment in which life begins and sometimes, tragically, ends. Staff must alternate masks of comedy and tragedy as they care for healthy moms and newborns as well as the estimated 2-4 percent of deliveries that end in the death of a baby.

Jane Heustis, RN, is the Pathways Perinatal Loss Support Coordinator at Methodist Hospital and the parish nurse at Irvington United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. Marcia Meyer Jenkins, RN, is a childbirth educator and perinatal bereavement coordinator at St. Francis Hospital and parish nurse at Russellville Community Church in Russellville, Indiana. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D., serves as the director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition. he writes the "Children and Grief column for Bereavement Magazine and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, and Today. He is the author of Healing Your Grieivng Heart, Healing a Teen's Grieving Heart, and Understanding Your Grief. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.