According to our research in 1998 when we began this program, every year in the United States, approximately 40,000 infants are still born. (In 1995, 3,478 children in California died before 11 months.) Infant loss is now much better documented and we know that this number is actually far greater than previously documented.
This project is for the families left behind. In our research for this project we talked to many people; mothers, hospitals, care givers and support groups. The one message that they all brought to us was this: the thing that the parents most seek after the death of an infant is an acknowledgment of that child's life. It may have only been a few moments, or it may have been months. They cling to the precious seconds they shared with that child.
When a child dies, the family often feels abandoned because people don't know what to say, or are uncomfortable dealing with death. They are told "it was for the best", "you'll get over it", "you'll have another baby" -- and while all of these things are true, they add to the grief the family feels at the time. We cannot hope to help these families through the tremendous loss, but we can give them a small gift to hold the things that touched their child; the birth certificate, crib card, bonnet or cap, gown, wrist band, foot and hand print, etc.
We have screened all of the participating hospitals to guarantee that they have infant bereavement programs in place. (Many hospitals do not have a program.) When you prepare your boxes you will be given the name of the hospital, and exact information on where and whom to adders the box to so that we can guarantee that the boxes are used as intended.
If you choose to participate in this project, you will be creating a keepsake box that the family may keep for generations. At the least, it will be a treasured keepsake for a family who has few mementos of a too-brief life. We think that this is a very worthy project and are proud to be a part of it.