Check to see if your employer offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAP’s are intended to help employees deal with personal problems that might adversely impact their work performance, health, and overall well-being. EAP’s generally include short-term counseling and referral services for employees and their household members.

Some employers will allow fellow employees to donate time off to employees in need. Check to see if this is available. If so, consider asking a close colleague or manager to send an email to other employees on your behalf.

Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for what you need from your employer. Severe complications during childbirth are rare and your employer may not have a precedent for dealing with the situation.

Be sure to contact the employer that provides the health care benefits to add your new baby to the health insurance policy. Obtain a full copy of the benefits package and a copy of the “summary plan” document. These will clearly identify the benefits and programs available to you.

Once discharged from the hospital, medical bills will begin to arrive. Get a large three ring binder to store medical bills and Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and as they come in. If your child was admitted to the NICU, create a separate binder for their bills. This will not be a priority for several months. It is recommended to wait 2-3 months before paying medical bills to allow the insurance company and providers to work out any conflicts or billing issues.

Once this occurs contact the insurance company and request to have one liaison to help manage your case. It is in your and their best interest to have one person be familiar with your claims. Ask for this person’s direct line and email. Email is the preferred method of communication, as it will provide a written record of the correspondence. If the insurance company will not provide a special representative, contact the employer who provides the medical benefits and ask if they have a contact at the company. If this is not an option, ask for a supervisor as they often have more authority and access to more information. Make notes in the binder for each conversation with the insurance company. Write down the date, time, name and ID of each representative and what was discussed.

If someone other than your loved one is managing the medical bills be sure to ask the insurance company how to establish authority to discuss claims and coverage as your loved one is unable to do so themselves.

For more information about how to understand your medical bills and explanation of benefits visit the following helpful websites.

• Your Medical Bills
• Family Doctor.org
• Patient Empowerment

It is also HIGHLY recommended you request a FULL copy of your medical records and any and all images from the hospital as soon as possible. Hospitals are only required to keep records for a specific amount of time.

To obtain your records, contact the main hospital phone number and ask to be connected with the records department or visit the hospitals website. You will need to complete a medical information release form. Your records may contain several hundred pages and images. Most often the records department will encourage you to take just the discharge summary, YOU NEED TO HAVE THE COMPLETE FILE. The discharge summary will not list medications or dosages. These are important to have. Most hospitals will charge a fee per page. You have a few options to try to avoid these fees. You may speak with the case manager about how to obtain these and request them at no charge. You may also have your physician request a complete copy and ask them to give it to you. Hospitals typically do this at no charge to the care providers. If you need further assistance requesting or paying for your records please contact us.
Maintain all of your records and images in a box or binder for future reference.

One of the greatest challenges of AFE is the lack of understanding that accompanies it. This also impacts the management of potential complications that arise in the weeks, months and years following AFE. Some women are able to make a full recovery while others will struggle with various health issues. It can be extremely challenging to find the right team of doctors to help care for your loved one once she returns home. You may want to ask the physicians in the hospital if they also are in private practice or for a recommendation of care providers in the area.

Your loved one will continue to be under the care of an OBGYN but may need other specialists to address complications from the AFE. Many AFE survivors report being under the care of various specialists. These may include but are not limited to cardiologists, neurologists, pulmonologists, hematologists, nephrologists, psychiatrists, and primary care physicians. It is recommended you have one physician manage your care and receive all reports from the other specialists. Communication between these doctors is essential so they can work together to determine the best course of action. If they are unwilling to send reports to another physician, obtain a copy of your records from each visit. Add these to your medical information binder with your hospital records.

Be sure to have the primary physician in charge of your care also request copies of your complete medical records from the hospital.

It is common to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Postpartum Depression as a result of experiencing a traumatic childbirth. It is also common for fathers and close family members to suffer from some form of PTSD following AFE.

For more information about PTSD visit the following helpful links:

• Pub Med
• Mayo Clinic

For more information about Postpartum Depression visit these helpful links.

• Pub Med
• Mayo Clinic

The following organizations offer support to help manage these conditions:

• Solace for Mothers is an organization designed for the sole purpose of providing and creating support for women who have experienced traumatic childbirth. Birth trauma is real and can result from even seemingly “normal” birth experiences.
• The Birth Trauma Association (BTA)-UK supports all women who have had a traumatic birth experience. It is estimated that, in the UK alone, this may result in 10,000 women a year developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
• Postpartum Support International is dedicated to helping women suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including postpartum depression, the most common complication of childbirth. They also work to educate family, friends and healthcare providers so that moms and moms-to-be can get the support they need and recover.
• Helpguide.org is a non-profit that provides access to helpful information and resources related to various mental, emotional and lifestyle challenges, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Postpartum Depression

• AFE Foundation Support Group on Facebook
  The AFE Foundation Support Group is for all individuals affected by AFE. The group is a private group which means membership is required and content is only accessible by members.
• AFE Foundation Blog
  The AFE Foundation Blog is a place where those whose lives have been impacted by AFE can share their stories with one another in order to provide support and information. Suffering from AFE can be a very lonely, troubling, and frightening experience. This site will provide information about specific cases of AFE as well as what individuals did to cope.

• Help, Comfort, and Hope After Losing Your Baby In Pregnancy or The First Year by Hannah Lothrop
  Through her own experience with miscarriage as well as through the voices of other parents who have suffered the devastation of their baby’s death, psychologist Hannah Lothrop guides parents through the experience of bereavement, from shock and disbelief to renewal and growth. Thoughtful questions throughout help readers assess their emotions and identify their needs, and an extensive list of resources provides additional sources of support.
• Empty Cradle, Broken Heart: Surviving the Death of Your Baby by Deborah L. Davis.
  The purpose of this book is to let bereaved parents know that they are not alone in their grief. With factual information and the words and insights of other bereaved parents, you can establish realistic expectations for your grief. Empty Cradle, Broken Heart is meant to help you through these difficult experiences by giving you things to think about, providing suggestions for coping and encouraging you to do what you need to survive your baby’s death. Whether your baby dies recently or long ago, this information can be useful to you.
• Grieving the Child I Never Knew By Kathe Wunnenberg
  When the anticipation of your child’s birth turns into the grief of miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, stillbirth, or early infant death, no words on earth can ease your loss. But there is strength and encouragement in the wisdom of others who have been there.
• A Guide for Fathers: When a Baby Dies by Tim Nelson
  This book is for men who experience the death of their infant child. Meant to be a guide during the early hours and days after finding out the news of their baby’s death, the book offers suggestions for communicating with medical caregivers, offering support to their partner, telling the news to other children, making funeral arrangements and taking care of themselves in a time of crisis. It goes on to talk about effective communications during the weeks and months following the loss, going to a support group, returning to the workplace, and the issues surrounding a subsequent pregnancy.
• Something Happened: A Book for Children and Parents Who Have Experienced Pregnancy Loss by Cathy Blanford
  The book addresses the sadness that a child experiences when the anticipated baby has died. The child’s fears and feelings of guilt are addressed as well as other confusing feelings. Perhaps most important, the book includes the family’s experience of going on with life while always remembering their baby. Children who have experienced a death in their family are very reassured by stories of other children who have had a similar experience. It helps them to understand better what has happened in their own family while at the same time offering the comforting knowledge that they are not alone in their feelings.