The Footprints on the Heart Program helps families cope with the loss of a baby caused by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, and newborn death.
If you’ve experienced the loss of a baby, we can help.
Bereavement information is given to each family before they leave the hospital. This information is specific to your situation and is tailored to the type of loss experienced.
The Cuddle Cot is one of many ways that we help families cope with stillbirth. Parents prepare for months for the birth of their baby and when a loss occurs, they should have the time they need to say goodbye.
The Cuddle Cot gives bereaved parents the gift of time, by allowing them to hold and cuddle their baby for as long as they need. Warm hospital rooms can accelerate the decline of the infant’s body. The Cuddle Cot, an electric cooling pad placed in a baby bassinet, slows the process by gently and quietly cooling the infant’s body, sparing parents the trauma of being separated from their baby before they are ready.
The Cuddle Cot is available at at Sisters of Charity Hospital and Mercy Hospital of Buffalo.
Read our pregnancy loss guide for bereavement support and resources.
Topics:
This support group is for families affected by miscarriage, stillbirth, and early infant death. The support group meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6pm at the Piver Center located on the Sisters Hospital campus in Buffalo. This group focuses on the grieving process with the support of other parents in the group who have been through a loss. This group is open to anyone in the WNY community, whether your loss occurred at Sisters, Mercy, Millard, Oshei or any other local hospital, we welcome you with open arms. The group is facilitated by a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in perinatal bereavement. You can also find information on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/footprintswny/.
Contact Amy Creamer if you need more information (716) 862-1678, acreamer@chsbuffalo.org.
The books in our lending library cover topics such as coping with grief and loss, rituals and ways to remember your baby, grief of fathers and grandparents, siblings’ grief and pregnancy after a loss.
These books are available during support hours. Please call before your arrival.
The lending library is located in the office of Amy Creamer, Coordinator of the Bereavement Program Sisters of Charity. She can be reached at acreamer@chsbuffalo.org.
The Footprints on the Heart Program provides bereavement support staff at multiple hospital locations. These experienced professionals offer individual counseling for patients who have experienced infant loss. When you speak with our associates, they will:
Sisters of Charity Hospital
Amy has a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling from Medaille College and is a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). She also has been working with pregnant and postpartum women for over 8 years as a childbirth educator, doula and counselor.
Amy can be reached by phone at (716) 862-1678 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, or by email at acreamer@chsbuffalo.org.
Mercy Hospital
Jen graduated from Buffalo State College with a degree in Business Administration. She also received a degree in Nursing from Erie Community College and has worked for Mercy Hospital since 2012. Following a personal loss, Jen started volunteering at the WNY Perinatal Bereavement Network, where she found herself connecting with patients and offering guidance and support. She became part of our Maternal Child staff, completed “Resolve Through Sharing” bereavement training, and has been working with bereaved parents ever since.
Jen can be reached at (716) 828-2618, or by email at jliberti@chsbuffalo.org.
The candlelight memorial service is an adults-only event. Ornaments and a candle are given to couples as a token of our support, and readings and music are selected to honor, heal and remember precious babies gone too soon.
» (716) 862-1678A memorial service is held twice a year at our memorial stone in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Elmwood Ave, Kenmore, NY. This non-denominational service honors and recognizes all babies who have been miscarried or who have died within the past six months. Readings and songs provide support and acknowledge that the baby is valued, respected and remembered. Parents will receive an invitation by mail 2-3 weeks before the memorial service takes place. Family and friends are welcome to attend.
» (716) 862-1678A memorial service is held twice a year at our memorial stone in Holy Cross Cemetery, 2900 South Park Ave, Lackawanna, NY. This non-denominational service honors and recognizes all babies who have been miscarried or who have died within the past six months. Readings and songs provide support and acknowledge that the baby is valued, respected and remembered. Parents will receive an invitation by mail 2-3 weeks before the memorial service takes place. Family and friends are welcome to attend.
» (716) 862-1678A memorial service is held twice a year at our memorial stone in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 500 Riverdale Ave, Lewiston, NY. This non-denominational service honors and recognizes all babies who have been miscarried or who have died within the past six months. Readings and songs provide support and acknowledge that the baby is valued, respected and remembered. Parents will receive an invitation by mail 2-3 weeks before the memorial service takes place. Family and friends are welcome to attend.
» (716) 862-1678A bereavement newsletter, “Forget-Me-Not,” is available several times a year and includes information and resources, along with poems and stories written by grieving families and friends. Parents can read and share stories of their babies, find out about community events, and find local support groups and national websites to help in the mourning process.
The newsletter is delivered by mail to your home; a sign-up form is included in the bereavement information folder that you received at the hospital. You may also access the newsletter online at the Western New York Perinatal Bereavement Network website.
The annual Walk to Remember in October is a short walk that allows parents to come together in memory of their beloved babies. The event is hosted by the Western New York Perinatal Bereavement Network and includes a tree planting, balloon release, and songs and readings.
For more information, please contact Christine Scott, Director of the Western New York Perinatal Bereavement Network, at (716) 626-6363 or visit wnypbn.org.
Other events by the Western New York Perinatal Bereavement Network include an Evening to Remember and a Parents Day Brunch to recognize those who have experienced a loss. For more information, please contact Christine Scott, Director of the Western New York Perinatal Bereavement Network, at (716) 626-6363.
