Pregnancy loss RESOURCES

Donna Rothert Phd is a doctor of psychology who specializes in pregnancy loss and postpartum mental emotional support. Her website is a goldmine of resources for people experiencing pregnancy loss.

HAND (Helping After Neonatal Death) This is a free support group for people who have experienced pregnancy or neonatal infant loss that meets twice a month on Wednesday evenings at the Davies CPMC campus.

PALS (Pregnancy After Loss Support) provides free peer support for people who are pregnant following a pregnancy or infant loss. 

Lis Goldschmidt is an acupuncturist and owner of Five Pins Project on Guerrero street in the Mission. Her healing style is intuitive and kind, and she is quite gifted at holding space for grief.  

Stephanie Haney is also an acupuncturist who has a lot of experience working with clients to help balance the hormone changes that occur with perimenopause and menopause. She offers postpartum acupuncture house calls. If you’ve had a pregnancy release of any kind - you are postpartum and deserving of this care. 

Dr. Anietie Ukpe-Wallace, PT, DPT is a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist in Oakland. Depending on where you live, she offers mobile sessions, as well as virtual ones. Pelvic Floor PT can help relieve pain and restore the general well being of the pelvis following the trauma of any pregnancy release. 

Origin is a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy clinic with virtual or in person appointments available. All of Origin’s practitioners have worked with people who have experienced pregnancy loss. 

SF Birth Center is staffed by a diverse group of certified nurse midwives who provide pregnancy related care outside of a traditional hospital setting. 

Nile Nash is an experienced certified nurse midwife whose private practice focuses on providing in-home postpartum care. If you want to avoid going to a hospital, and have a professional come to your home to assess your postpartum recovery, Nile is a beautiful human being. 

Kelly Murphy is another experienced midwife in San Francisco. In addition to a thriving home birth practice, she also offers postpartum home visits - including care for postpartum folks who have experienced a pregnancy loss.  

Brigette Barnato is an LGBTQ North Bay midwife available for postpartum home visits following a pregnancy loss. 

Britt Eldridge is a home birth midwife and end-of-life midwife. She provides physical and emotional home held ceremonies for end-of-life folks including ceremonies for people following a pregnancy loss.  (415) 818-7547

BORN Collective is a phenomenal group of individuals, period. As with any of the midwives listed above, these doulas are especially wonderful if you find yourself pregnant after having experienced loss and want the support of some radical trauma informed birthworkers. 

midwifebrews.com  Local Herbal plant medicine blends created by midwives that are intended to support and nourish the body/mind/spirit in times of birth, transition, and loss. 

DONATIONS

If you want to donate your milk, Mother’s Milk Bank in San Jose, is one official way to help babies whose parents are unable to breast/chest feed. Mother’s Milk Bank will pasteurize all the milk they receive before selling it to families who can access this service. If San Jose is too far away, or you’re not into capitalism and believe your body’s milk should be free - talk to Kim, or any birthworker you know about local milk gifting options. There are usually folks in need. 

Homeless Prenatal is an incredible resource if you find yourself pregnant while also experiencing homelessness in the Bay Area. If you are not in need of their services, but are feeling generous, this is a wonderful organization to donate funds to. They will sometimes take donations of baby formula or gear depending on its condition. 

Chloe’s Closet will buy and sell your baby clothes, baby gear, and pregnancy clothes when you no longer need them.  

If you don’t see what you are looking for on this list, akin is a diverse website with a national practitioner directory - many of the people listed above are part of it. 

Pregnancy Loss Memoirs: 

I Had A Miscarriage A Memoir A Movement by Jessica Zucker

The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy

Ghost Belly by Elizabeth Heineman

Holding Silvan by Monica Wesolowska 

Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch

Podcasts/Radio: 

Sisters in Loss Erica M. McAfee hosts this podcast that highlights the stories of black Christian women who have experienced pregnancy loss. Even if you do not share the religious beliefs or gender identity as these women, hearing these stories can be quite healing following a pregnancy loss. There are hundreds of episodes. 

NPR episode about the Buddhist mizuko kuyo ritual that honors miscarriage and abortion.