When a pregnancy ends with miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, medical termination, stillbirth or neonatal death, the parents may
experience anger, hopelessness, lowered self esteem and other feelings. It is healthy and helpful to allow the parents to feel, name and express their
emotions. Holding in feelings may cause delayed grief reactions. The shared grief felt by parents, families and friends will be expressed in different
ways. No two people grieve alike.

Finding supportive family, friends or professionals, who are able to listen, allows one to grieve in their own way. Taking time to work through grief in a
manner that is right for each person promotes healing and health.

PBSO provides a variety of unique support services that have been tailored specifically to meet the special needs of perinatally bereaved families. The
organization has also grown to include developing and implementing educational training seminars for health care professionals, caregivers, clergy and funeral directors on how to best support these families.

If you are grieving the loss of your baby we are here to help.

PBSO is an Ontario Trillium Grant Recipient for 2012.

On behalf of all grieving families in Ontario, Thank you to OTF for believing in and supporting our Grandparents/Family & Friends Seminars.

In this edition:
• message from the board
• surviving the holidays
• upcoming events
• a call to all volunteers
• 2009 Membership Drive

Sunday June 13, 2009

Greenwood Conservation Area

Town of Ajax

The Butterfly Release is a celebration of the brief, but significant lives of our babies. Advance order and payment is required to reserve your butterfly. The service will begin at 11am sharp, weather permitting. It is recommended that you plan to arrive by 10:30am to allow for a prompt start to this event. If you are interested in supporting this important event, but are unable to attend, a butterfly can be released on your behalf.  This year we will be releasing Painted Ladies Butterflies!  There will be 2 butterflies per box.

* Reserve your butterfly by April 30, 2010 to qualify for the early bird discount – Butterflies at the early bird price of $25.00 each. (After April 30th add $5 per butterfly)

Download the PDF.

Download the PDF.

1to1 Telephone Support: we ask volunteers to commit one hour a week for the first several weeks, then gradually tapering off to one hour every few weeks as the client moves along in their grieving.

Support Group Facilitators: we have two types of groups – bereavement and subsequent pregnancy support. The regular groups typically run two evenings a month for 21/1 hours. The subsequent pregnancy groups usually run once a month, also for 21/2 hours. It is our hope to build facilitating ‘teams’ of 3 or 4 volunteers who can share the responsibilities of managing the group. We are in constant need of group facilitators.

Both the 1to1 Telephone Support volunteers and the Group Support facilitators are required to complete on-line training, a brief orientation with the Volunteer Coordinator, and in the case of Group facilitators, we also ask that you attend several Support meetings as a facilitator-in-training in order to get accustomed to the requirements and routines involved in running the group.

In addition to PBSO support volunteer positions, we are also looking for people who would like to become involved in helping out with any of the various PBSO events; for example the PBSO Butterfly Picnic, Spirit Day!, the Walk to Remember and other important PBSO efforts.

Download the PDF.