National Pregnancy Loss Hotline 1-888-910-1551

Are You Grieving? Do You Need Someone To Talk To?

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Centre is a nonprofit registered charity in Calgary, our mission is to provide bereavement support to those who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss through comprehensive and inclusive support offerings throughout each phase of the journey. We host seven specialized peer-based support groups at no costs associated with in Calgary, as well as a national pregnancy loss support hotline 1-888-910-1551.

Our hotline is a Canadian based resource that is also accessed from the USA. We provide virtual peer support for anyone who has experienced pregnancy or infant loss. Our volunteers are trained to support those moving through their journey of grief, where ever they may be on that journey, Providing a safe and confidential space , 7 days a week, call or text the Pregnancy Loss Support Line for immediate, anonymous support.

When you first experience loss, you are overwhelmed by grief, shame, and you feel isolated because it feels shameful to share this devastating news with family and friends. The people you expect to be comforted by the most are often unaware that their best attempts to help you, make you feel worse. Common responses to people who have lost a child or infant include “just try again” or that “it happened for a reason”. These responses hurt because they invalidate the painful emotions of grief that you are undoubtedly experiencing. Feeling alone is one of the most painful human experiences one can endure. One of the best ways to connect with someone who feels isolated is to reach out to someone you suspect and just say “I’ve experienced this too, there is nothing that I can say to make you feel better, but I see you and recognize your pain, I know how painful this is but I’m here, experiencing this pain with you, I know these feelings too, and you are not alone”.

Therefore a peer support hotline is not only effective in supporting people through loss, but foundational to one’s personal healing journey. This service is unique and rare, we have had people across the country and outside of the country access this resource. Our organization believes that few interventions are as effective as peer support. We are striving to build a space that connects bereaved families to mental health and social supports so that individuals and families can find healing; in their own way and on their own terms, we cannot do it without the support of the community.

No matter where you live, no matter where in the journey you are or what type of loss you have experienced, we are here for you. Call or text and be immediately connected to one of our trained volunteers to offer you guidance, comfort, and hope. Receiving specialized support that reassures the grieving parent that they are not alone.

 

---

Who is the Support Line for?

• Individuals and families who have experienced pregnancy loss, infant loss, neonatal death, and/or fertility challenges⁠, pregnant again after loss⁠, who have given birth to a baby born after loss.
• Individuals who have had to make the decision to end a pregnancy due to prenatal or maternal diagnosis⁠.
• Any individuals and families who are expected to or have recently given birth (with no history of loss) and are struggling with the isolation and grief surrounding COVID-19⁠.
• Individuals and families whose fertility treatments/plans have been put on hold due to COVID-19⁠.

---

How You Can Help!

As a charitable organization we rely on the generosity of the community. We are always grateful for donations that help to keep the Centre an accessible healing space. By donating, you are helping to provide options that support individual healing, so people can heal in their own way, and on their own terms. you can do so through our website.

• https://pilsc.org

You can also help us by spreading the word through social media and in person, allowing us the opportunity to reach more bereaved families and individuals out there who are grieving from loss right now.

Join our community by following us on social media:

• Instagram @pregnancylosssupportcanada
• Facebook @pregnancyinfantlosssupportcentre

---

Declaration

We are dedicated to supporting individuals of all faiths, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

---

This is a guest blog post