Carle offers perinatal bereavement services to care for families impacted by pregnancy and infant loss in our community. Families’ needs during these times of loss vary greatly and can be highly specific. Our staff has special training, materials and supplies to help meet these needs throughout the loss and grieving processes. From outpatient and inpatient care to long-term support, our staff provides sensitive, holistic care to our grieving families.
We facilitate the following according to the needs of each family:
Birth planning.
Palliative care wishes.
Final arrangements.
Shining Light Infant Memorial Service
Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana hosts the annual Shining Light Infant Memorial Service. The event is designed to be an inclusive opportunity for families throughout the community to mourn and remember their lost children together. The memorial meets each participant’s needs in different ways as their grief evolves over time. It is held on the International Day of Light each year on October 15.
Families are encouraged to visit the Shining Light Infant Memorial Garden at Carle Foundation Hospital. The sunken garden is a private, beautiful, reverent place of healing for those affected by pregnancy and infant loss. The garden is an ideal place to meditate and remember the children who are forever in our hearts. It’s open to the whole community year-round and is filled with light throughout October in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.
If you’d like to have a paver in the Shining Light Infant Memorial Garden engraved in honor of a lost infant, text SHININGLIGHT to 243725 or click here for more information.
For More Information
If you have questions about perinatal bereavement care, please talk to your provider, or reach out to our Perinatal Grief and Bereavement Liaison, Rachel Campbell, RNC-OB, BSN, at rachel.campbell@carle.com.
Ways to Support
Our garden, memorial service and many of our specialized materials are made possible by generous donations from the Women’s Legacy Circle and Carle Center for Philanthropy.
If you’d like to support the program, please see our Amazon Wish List with some supplies used to create meaningful mementos for families in the hospital.
