Complete and utter shock is the only way to describe those first moments you learn of the loss of your loved one to an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE). While all unexpected loss can be shocking, the death of a loved one while bringing new life into the world is difficult to comprehend. What should have been a joyful moment in your family’s life has suddenly turned into one of tragedy and immense sadness. The range of emotions is wide and varied, most especially when coupled with the joy of a new baby. Feelings of intense worry may also occur if the child has suffered any complications as a result of their traumatic birth. Many family members who have experienced this heartbreak describe immediate feelings of confusion, disbelief, anger and even guilt.
The AFE Foundation recognized the need and importance for providing current and accurate information about amniotic fluid embolism and established helpful resources to assist families in the weeks, months and years to come.
The AFE Foundation Grieving Family Support Group on Facebook is for family members (and close friends with the families permission) who have lost a loved one to AFE. This group will provide a forum for you to share in your grief and ask questions only those who have walked in your shoes can answer. Our greatest desire is that this group will prove helpful in the days, weeks, months and years to come.
The group is a private group which means content is only accessible by members. It is moderated by the AFE Foundation. To ensure privacy and protection of our members we ask those interested in joining to do the following:
1. Send an email to our group admin (Amy@afesupport.org) and share your connection to an AFE loss. Please allow up to one week for a response.
2. Visit the AFE Foundation Grieving Family Support Group and request to join. Once your request is approved you will be added to the group.
Here are what some family members have to say about joining this group.
“I found this group very supporting and continues to help me come to term with my mom’s death from an AFE on 5-12-00. It has helped me understand more about the condition and how to comprehend this incredible loss. I miss my mom everyday. It’s the little things I miss most, like her laugh or the sound of her voice. Even more devastating is the fact that my half brother will never get to know our mom.” -Carolyn D., lost her mom to AFE in 2000
“I have never felt as isolated as I did when my sister died during labor. To have my sister die suddenly during what should have been the happiest day of her life was debilitating. I could not believe that life could go on. I was desperate to talk to others who had experienced such grief so that I could be assured that life could go on. The people that I have connected with through the AFE Foundation have helped me understand that I will make it through this. I have also received great advice on how to celebrate my niece’s first birthday, how to hold myself up during a friend’s baby shower, and how to deal with my brother-in-law dating. This group has helped me tremendously.” -Anonymous
Legacy.com is a for-profit company that helps create a memorial website. Memorial websites can help you celebrate and honor your loved one’s legacy and inspire family and friends to do the same. Visitors can share messages of support and remembrance while connecting with each other. Through shared personal tales and reflections, this lasting online memorial continues the life story of your loved one. The site also offers support and resources on how to deal with grief and what to do and say in the event of a loss.
This site helps create memorial websites to honor the loss of a loved one. Their easy to use templates allow those with modest computer skills the opportunity to create a beautiful site. A basic memorial website at ForeverMissed.com is free to create and lasts forever. You can also sign up for the unlimited plan or upgrade your free memorial at any time to enjoy unlimited space for photos, songs and video clips, along with access to other great new features.
This site offers a free online memorial website in memory of your loved ones. Enshrine your photos, memories, and tributes with friends and family. Memorials are free to create and use for 30 days and can be commemorated forever for $9.95. There is never a fee for memorial visitors.
If your loved one has an existing page, be sure to report this information to Facebook. Type “Memorialize an Account” under the help menu for instructions. When an account is memorialized, only confirmed friends can see the profile or locate it in the search function. The profile will also no longer appear in the suggestions section of the home page. Friends and family can leave posts in remembrance. In order to protect the privacy of the deceased user, we cannot provide login information for the account to anyone. However, once an account has been memorialized, it is completely secure and cannot be accessed or altered by anyone.
Remembering and honoring your loved one’s memory is an important part of the healing process. There are many ways you can honor them through the AFE Foundation.
This organization assists families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive. The organization is national with approximately 600 chapters throughout the country and offers mutual support, friendship and understanding for families grieving the death of a child of any age, from any cause. The Compassionate Friends organization provides information on the grieving process, referrals to local chapter meetings, features an online support community, and publishes a quarterly magazine.
This national organization has approximately 80 chapters. Designed to aid and support bereaved parents and their families who are struggling to survive their grief after the death of a child. This organization provides information and referrals, newsletters, phone support, conferences and support group meetings and also provides assistance and guidelines in starting support group. Bilingual assistance is available.
This international organization has 25 affiliated groups. Founded in 1995 it offers emergency and on-going support for families suffering from the loss a child. The organization provides information, referrals, phone support, newsletters, pen pals, literature, advocacy and online chat room support. In addition they offer information on local group development and support of such groups by listings them on their website.
Founded in 1989 this organization is dedicated to supporting grandparents when a grandchild dies by offering personal support, literature, and has an online message board. They also offer telephone support.
The loss of a spouse can be a traumatic, confusing and lonely time. The loss of a mother during the birth of a child is one of unexplainable grief and will bring a range of emotions that are complex and challenging to manage. What was supposed to be a time of great joy has now become one of the hardest times of your life. It is often hard to know what to do in the wake of such an immense tragedy.
Below is some helpful and timely information for those who have recently lost their spouse or partner to AFE. The following information was compiled from individuals who have also experienced the loss of a spouse from AFE. This is what they found most helpful in the days, weeks and months following their loss. It is not intended as legal advice and it is always recommended you seek professional guidance.
The Helpful Steps to Follow After the Loss of Spouse to AFE Guide will address time sensitive information and offer assistance for the many decisions fathers will face in the wake of losing a spouse or partner. This guide includes links to apply for social security benefits, information on how to manage medical bills, bank accounts, and much more.
The AFE Foundation Support Group for Grieving Fathers is a private Facebook group for fathers who have lost a spouse or partner to AFE. This group will provide a forum for you to share in your grief and ask questions only those who have walked in your shoes can answer. Our greatest desire is that this group will prove helpful in the days, weeks, months and years to come. It is only open to men who are grieving the loss of a spouse or partner to AFE. This group was established and will be moderated by the AFE Foundation. To join, please send an email request to info@afesupport.org.
Here is what some fathers are saying about this group and the AFE Foundation.
“Being able to find support from someone who had been through these extraordinary circumstances at a time when nothing made sense and my world had been turned upside down was tremendously powerful. To have someone say ‘Things don’t get easier, but you CAN cope’ was the sort of realism and honesty I needed at a time when nobody else knew what to say. Seeing the way he had coped with the adversity gave me hope and strength that although things would never be the same, I could endure the hard days, and honor my wife’s memory in the best way possible, by being a good father to our daughter.”
-Mark
“The AFE Foundation and their support groups have allowed me an outlet to honor my wife and connect with others who are equally as passionate about raising awareness and finding the answers to why this happened.”
-Dave
AFE Foundation Grieving Family Support Group is for family members who have lost a loved one to AFE. This group will provide a forum for you to share in your grief and ask questions only those who have walked in your shoes can answer. Our greatest desire is that this group will prove helpful in the days, weeks, months and years to come. The group is a private group which means membership is required and content is only accessible by members. This group was established and will be moderated by the AFE Foundation.
The loss of a spouse can be a traumatic, confusing and lonely time. The loss of a mother during the birth of a child is one of unexplainable grief and will bring a range of emotions that are complex and challenging to manage. What was supposed to be a time of great joy has now become one of the hardest times of your life. It is often hard to know what to do in the wake of such an immense tragedy.
Below is some helpful and timely information for those who have recently lost their spouse or partner to AFE. The following information was compiled from individuals who have also experienced the loss of a spouse from AFE. This is what they found most helpful in the days, weeks and months following their loss. It is not intended as legal advice and it is always recommended you seek professional guidance.
The Helpful Steps to Follow After the Loss of Spouse to AFE Guide will address time sensitive information and offer assistance for the many decisions fathers will face in the wake of losing a spouse or partner. This guide includes links to apply for social security benefits, information on how to manage medical bills, bank accounts, and much more.
Didn’t find the support you were seeking? If you have additional needs for support or have something you think we should include, please contact us.
Surviving an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a traumatic and life-altering event. As like any near-death trauma, it can result in many challenges both physically and emotionally. These challenges are further complicated by the emotions surrounding the birth and sudden loss of a child.
Below are resources to help you and your family through the loss and devastation of losing a child during or shortly after childbirth.