Perinatal Palliative Care Program

Lesley Sabourin, Perinatal Palliative Care Coordinator at Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice & CHEO Palliative Care Team, calls herself the contact person for a huge interdisciplinary team of physicians, social workers, nurses, volunteers, recreational therapists, and community organizations.  

Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice’s Perinatal Palliative Care Program was designed to wrap around the families of unborn babies, over 20 weeks of gestation, and newborns age 28 days or younger, who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition. Offering a variety of free services including birth planning, bereavement support, counselling, memory making, and legacy building, the program strives to do everything and anything possible to help each family create a life for their baby that brings meaning and enhance connection.      

 

 

“We are here to hope alongside each family while encouraging time for them to love and celebrate their baby as much as possible. This means identifying what is most important to a family in that moment. Maybe it is scheduling photos, planning for meaningful time together after birth, or introducing family members to their beloved baby. Our team takes the time to get to know families and assists them in communicating their wishes to other care providers. Our supports are here for parents and their babies but also for siblings and grandparents needing care and support as well.”    

Calling perinatal loss unique and isolating, Lesley says that the work of many passionate people, along with the supportive leadership of RNCH, has resulted in a thriving program that currently serves hundreds of families. “It is estimated that one in four pregnancies will end in loss. Opportunities for family members, of all ages, to properly grieve, leads to better emotional outcomes in the future. Our families have told and shown us that they want to gather, talk, honour their babies, and share stories. Having these services in place normalizes the need for them, creates community, and hopefully will encourage others to reach out.”