We can’t change that a baby has died, but we can try to make each step of the grief journey less traumatic
Our Story
Hope After Loss, formerly the Hygeia Foundation, was founded in 1995 by Michael R. Berman, M.D., then an attending obstetrician at Yale-New Haven Hospital and a clinical professor of obstetrics at Yale University’s School of Medicine.
The original mission of the organization was to provide support via the internet to women and families who had experienced pregnancy loss or neonatal death. Over time, our website connected a community of over 24,000 registered users. It was the first support network of its kind led by a physician.
For several years, our support services remained primarily online. In 2007, we made a major leap forward when we began offering in-person bereavement support through a peer-led support group in New Haven, Connecticut, for those who had experienced the loss of a pregnancy or infant.
This support group, and many other new initiatives, came about after the formation of our Parent Advisory Board. Following the success of our initial support group, two members of our Parent Advisory Board, who had created a training program for our support group facilitators, began training additional facilitators so that we could launch support groups in the new locations.
We were quickly able to expand the reach of our groups within Connecticut, and we were also able to begin to offer widespread one-on-one support via email and phone, a bereavement resource lending library, blankets for subsequent safe arrivals, burial gowns, and many other services. As we expanded our Bereavement Support program, we also established our Burial Assistance program and our Outreach and Educational Programs for Professionals.
Today, our programs form the core of our organization. Our work is led by two staff members, who oversee a strong volunteer corps. Our Parent Advisory Board has evolved into our board of directors, which now governs our organization. Together, we are committed to helping families who have experienced the terrible loss of a pregnancy or infant.