SBD History:
Stillbirthday was created in 2011 out of one family’s experience with miscarriage. I was told by a doctor that my baby was “debris”. I was told by a nurse to “expect a period” and still by another nurse that I “probably already flushed ‘it'”. I was told by others who share my faith that God “changed His mind” and “at least I didn’t have to have a baby with special needs”. I was told “there’s an infertile mother in Heaven who gets to be the mother of my baby now”. I was told to “get over it”.
My pregnancy loss challenged my marriage, my faith, and my family (and I share about my journey here). From these challenges, I have learned to be thankful for the gifts of empathy and understanding I can now offer to others. Through this journey, I have met hundreds of thousands of amazing parents who have learned to find their path of bereavement and make sense of life after loss.
In our first year, we reached over 350,000 families globally. Hundreds of birth professionals have aligned with the values of this website and list themselves as ready to meet any family giving birth to a miscarried or stillborn baby. We now reach 50,000+ families monthly.
Unique programs at stillbirthday include our doula listing, mentorship, Love Cupboards, Birth and Bereavement training (click for video at bottom of page), prayer team, executive team members, moderators and lactation support.
Unique information we provide at stillbirthday includes birth plans, birth preparation, practical support for immediately postpartum and for the farewell planning (such as state laws on burial, for example), beautiful photos and stories of babies born in every week of pregnancy, books, websites, music, poetry, local resources and more.
Besides tangible, physical support through in-person presence (our doulas are only an email away and are listed in every US state and internationally), we offer in-depth online support for fathers, children, and other loved ones (including how to help and what to say), and stillbirthday offers pregnancy loss based devotionals and spiritual encouragement.
You can invite Heidi Faith to speak at your next event, or to teach the young ladies in your life about maidenhood and puberty.
SBD Goals:
Heidi Faith’s goal (set to be reached by 2015) is to hold a retreat in Kansas City for stillbirthday mothers to come together and be encouraged and inspired in their journey of life after loss.
Heidi Faith’s goal (set to be reached by 2020) is to break into the world’s regions of highest pregnancy and infant loss statistics, to break through religious and cultural barriers, to provide bereavement support and Christian ministry. To begin this goal, stillbirthday stands in support of Project Rescue, reaching the girls and women trapped in sex trafficking in India, and stands in support of Holden Uganda.
Heidi Faith’s goal (set to be reached by 2025) is to translate stillbirthday into multiple languages worldwide. This goal was reached in 2012.
Heidi Faith’s goal (set to be reached by 2025) is to open Stillbirthday Palliative Birth Center in Kansas City, MO. The SBD PBC will be a facility that provides holistic pregnancy, birth and postpartum support for families seeking an out-of-hospital alternative setting, receiving palliative, birth and bereavement support for the birth of babies born via miscarriage, stillbirth, or fatal diagnosis. This will require huge financial underwriting and backing. If you are interested in being a financial founder of the Stillbirthday Palliative Birth Center, please contact Heidi Faith at Heidi.Faith@stillbirthday.info.
The central goal of stillbirthday is to reach every mother in every country, in every region, and in every circumstance, to let them know that a pregnancy loss is still a birth, and is still a birthday, to work on lowering rates of loss while simultaneously increasing awareness and support.
You Can Help:
We can reach these goals, starting in your own community. Your local Emergency Room staff and prenatal and maternity care providers need to know about stillbirthday, and in particular about our training.
Every minute a US mother gives birth to a miscarried baby, and every 20 minutes a US mother gives birth to a stillborn baby. Not one mother should endure loss unsupported. Get involved, and tell others about stillbirthday.
If you are interested in being a financial founder of the Stillbirthday Palliative Birth Center, please contact Heidi Faith at Heidi.Faith@stillbirthday.info.
