Final Arrangements for Your Baby
First 24 to 48 Hours After a Loss
In most situations, you will find yourself admitted to the hospital to miscarry or deliver your stillborn baby for a period of 24 to 48 hours. This is an average and can vary — especially if your baby spends time in the NICU or Emergency Department. Ideally, you will be given a few days to plan your baby's final arrangements; unfortunately, this is often not reality.
We know this is very overwhelming and you do not want to be thinking about end of life plans for your baby; however, these decisions cannot be readdressed later. It is vital that you take time now to make final arrangements so that you do not have regrets. Consider asking a close family member or friend help you through this process — someone who can follow through with the details of the arrangements after you have reached a decision.
Cremation allows you to keep your baby’s ashes with you and allows for flexibility in the future. You can choose at a later date to scatter or bury your baby’s ashes in a meaningful place. Almost all funeral homes will cremate a baby at a deeply discounted rate or for free. They will not advertise this. If you have previously dealt with a funeral home that you are comfortable working with again, call them first. If not, ask your nurse for a list of nearby funeral homes. Don’t be discouraged about what you hear from a funeral home. When one doesn’t offer what you need, move on to the next.
To lessen any cost, consider using the bear from your Rachel’s Gift box as an urn. The funeral home can easily cut your bear along its back, place the bag or vial of cremains inside, and stitch it back up. This can also be done with a special stuffed animal you purchased or received as a gift for your baby. There are also sweet, affordable urns from Heaven’s Gain, Artful Ashes, and others. If there is some associated cost you cannot afford, financial assistance is available.
Heaven's Gain - Personalized urns and baby caskets for any gestation, including 1st trimester.
Artful Ashes - Beautiful handmade glass art memorials.
Angel Names Association
Financial assistance with autopsy, funeral, burial, and cremation expenses for stillbirths 20 weeks of gestation or older.
Avery and Aubrey's Way
Assist families with rent/mortgage, utilities, or funeral expenses for families experiencing loss in the NICU up to 28 days of life within 60 days of the baby's death.
Buzzy's Bees
Financial assistance for burial for stillbirths at 28 weeks of gestation or older, up to children 12 years of age.
Children's Burial Assistance
Provides assistance to families for the burial of a minor child, aged 1 to 17 years. Assistance can be used towards the open and closing of grave fees and cremation services.
FlutterBy IzzyJane Foundation
Assists with funeral costs for stillborn babies age 24 gestational weeks or more.
Flutterby IzzyJane
Financial assistance with the burial process for stillbirths 24 gestational weeks or later.
Kaden's Cause
Serving families of children 5 or younger in all 50 states with help with funeral costs. Free urns available.
Little Souls At Rest
Provides immediate help with final arrangements to mothers and families suffering a loss of a baby up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Love, Lucas
Emotional, financial, and spiritual support to families suffering infant or pregnancy loss.
Our Children's Blessing
Assists with cremation/burial, funeral, and medical bills for the loss of a baby age 20 or more gestational weeks and infants up to 1 year old. First preference will go to residents of the Texas Panhandle area. Other applications will be considered if financial assistance is available.
Raise for Rowyn
Washington State only- Financial assistance with funeral services for live birth 23 weeks of gestation and up through 19 years of age.
Raising BLUE
Assists with funeral costs for stillborn babies. For assistance, call (859) 814-6190 or reach out via Facebook.
Rhett Sullivan Foundation
Assists with funeral, burial, monument, and counseling costs for the loss of a baby age 20 weeks gestation up to 2 years old. Rhett Sullivan Foundation is based in Texas and will focus on providing service to those in Texas first. They are able to provide funding to other locations upon review by their Board of Directors.
Skyler's Gift Foundation
Assists with funeral and burial or crematory costs for babies born at or after 22 gestational weeks and then passed away in the NICU. You must apply online within 14 days of your baby's passing.
St. James On-The-Glebe
For Virginia Residents: Free burial in parish cemetery for any stillborn or miscarried baby
The Alana Marie Project
Assists with financial expenses associated with cremation, funeral, and burial.
The Luca John Foundation
Assists with funeral costs for stillborn babies or infants age 12 months and younger.
Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth / Certificate of Stillbirth
Certificates can be requested after you have been discharged and your hospital/physician has filed the necessary paperwork. At your request, your State Office of Vital Records can issue you a "Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth" or "Certificate of Stillbirth" to record and memorialize the birth of your stillborn child. Because laws vary by state, so do the certificates available to you. Some states offer certificates for babies less than 20 gestational weeks old. Visit state websites linked below for details and forms.
* If your State is NOT listed in the dropdown list? Click here to find your state's Vital Records office.
Florida
AVAILABLE:
Certificate of Nonviable Birth (10-19 weeks gestation), Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth (20+ weeks gestation), or Fetal Death
Georgia
AVAILABLE:
Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth (CBRS) or a Death Certificate, either in lieu of the CBRS or in addition to it
Nebraska
AVAILABLE:
Certificate of Nonviable Birth (less than 20 weeks gestation), Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth
New York
AVAILABLE:
Fetal Death Certificate (official record of birth and death), Stillbirth Certificate (20+ weeks gestation)
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