When a baby dies, everyone understands that a family is grieving. But somewhere in our healthcare system, we often forget something incredibly important: Someone still gave birth. Their body is still postpartum. Their hormones still change. Their milk may still come in. Their family still has to figure out how to go home, care for other children, return to work, navigate relationships, and somehow live inside a reality they never expected. And too often, professional support ends at discharge. In Episode 97, I'm introducing the next chapter of this podcast, and the reason Pregnancy, Loss and Motherhood has become the Grief-Informed Perinatal Care Podcast. This isn't simply a podcast about my story anymore. It's about the practice. It's about what doulas, nurses, midwives, therapists, newborn care specialists, chaplains, hospital teams, and other perinatal professionals can do differently when grief enters the room. In this episode, we talk about:Why grief-informed care and trauma-informed care are not the same thingThe massive gap between hospital bereavement care and what happens after dischargeWhy postpartum care cannot disappear because a baby diedWhat it really means to provide family-centered care after pregnancy or infant lossWhy partners, siblings, grandparents, and the larger family system matterThe importance of continuity of care from hospital to homeWhy professional grief, secondary trauma, and burnout belong in this conversationWhat my own stillbirth experience taught me about the enormous impact one provider can haveThe difference between providers who avoided my grief and the ones who helped me survive itOne question every professional should answer before a bereaved family leaves their care Your Grief-Informed TakeawayBefore the next bereaved family leaves your care, ask: Who is going to call this family, and when? Not someone should follow up. A name. A date. A plan. And if you can't answer that question, you've just found a gap in care that you may have the power to change. We don't have to completely rebuild the system overnight. We can start by making the next interaction, the next discharge, the next follow-up, and the next family's experience one step better. That's where grief-informed care begins. Coming next: Episode 98: The Baby Died. The Postpartum Body Didn't. Episode 99: Her Milk Came In, and Nobody Told Her It Would. And if you've ever found yourself standing outside a patient's room thinking, I don't know what to say, look for the Ask, Don't Assume resource mentioned in this episode. Because families shouldn't have to teach us how to care for them while they're surviving the worst day of their lives. Download Your Free Pocket Card with the questions that should never be assumed! Links + Resources: 💌 Visit the Evelyn James Shop on Etsy!🧡 Follow us on Instagram
