Our services
Infant loss
Pregnancy loss, infant loss, and reproductive trauma affect all aspects of a person’s life: medical, emotional, and social. That’s why we take a holistic approach, embracing bereaved parents with an array of practical, educational, and emotionally supportive services.
Knafayim is there for every bereaved couple, at whatever stage of the reproductive journey they experience loss.
Infant loss
Heartbeats is Knafayim’s support group for mothers after the loss of a baby. See the support groups
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Guidance & referrals
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Infant loss creates a storm of confusion: decisions need to be made and they have to be made quickly.
Knafayim is a source of information and support for medical and emotional decisions, as well as medical referrals, fast-tracked appointments with specialists, patient advocacy, family support, and help with rabbinical consultations.
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Emotional doula services
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When a couple knows their baby will be born still, one of our specially trained emotional doulas will support them through the birth and guide them in the process of saying hello in order to say goodbye. Their options will be clearly explained and presented so they can make informed decisions about how to spend these final moments with their baby and have a supportive space for their transition into the postpartum experience of loss.
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Final arrangements
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To protect the emotional experience of the bereaved parents’ precious few moments with their baby, we coordinate with the chevra kaddisha so the final arrangements are handled with dignity and respect for the family’s customs and rabbinic counsel.
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Care packets
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After a loss, the body knows it’s no longer pregnant but doesn’t know there’s no longer a baby to feed and will therefore produce milk. Our specially curated postpartum support packet is a collection of lactation cessation tips, products, and vitamins that offer bereaved mothers the information and practical support to help them transition through this painful process as quickly as possible.
Leaving the hospital following a miscarriage means leaving with achingly empty arms. Our Whispers in the Night support packet gives the bereaved couple permission to grieve through a thoughtfully curated collection of information, chizuk, and inspiration that includes a comprehensive book on loss and grief. These materials offer validation and solace that can be reached for again and again, at any time of the day or night.
Both packages are available in many hospitals and medical centers or can be discreetly home-delivered by local coordinators.
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Phone support groups
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In a community where pregnancy loss is seldom discussed, having a baby born still can be an extremely isolating and lonely experience. Our phone support groups are a place of comfort and healing where women share their stories and support each other through their grief, moderated by licensed mental health professionals. In addition to the support group for general loss, we have separate groups for women who’ve experienced recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and for women who’ve experienced loss following infertility treatments. (In-person groups may be available depending on location.)
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Therapeutic support
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The lived experience of grief sometimes warrants one-on-one support from a mental health professional. We have cultivated a wide network of therapists trained in perinatal loss and facilitate referrals and funding (when necessary) for crisis counseling and bereavement support.
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Teleconference series
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Without the familiar structure of levayah, shivah, and shloshim, grief can feel ambiguous and confusing. Our live teleconferences target the unique characteristics of reproductive loss, addressing topics such as trauma, am I still a mother, and what do I tell my siblings. This twice-yearly series includes 8 weekly presentations by medical professionals and therapists trained in reproductive trauma and bereavement care, followed by question-and-answer sessions. It is a safe space for bereaved parents to share their most painful questions and get individualized answers from experts in the field.
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Messages of hope
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Shabbos and Yamim Tovim are very vulnerable times for bereaved parents. Mrs. Malkie Klaristenfeld’s weekly Erev Shabbos emails are messages of connection, chizuk, and inspiration culled from the weekly parashah. Her pre-Yom Tov calls offer divrei chizuk and practical strategies for the painful reality of entering another Yom Tov with empty arms.
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Hotel respite
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Sometimes a grieving couple needs a brief pause from the demands, reminders, and noise of daily life. Our hotel respite offers parents the opportunity to step away for a short time and catch their breath in a private, supportive space. It is a chance to rest, regroup, and tend to their loss together with a bit more room to breathe.
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Yartzeit
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The yartzeit can bring with it a quiet ache, reopening grief even long after the loss itself. Our Yartzeit Project helps families mark the date in a meaningful and supported way, offering remembrance, validation, and the reassurance that their baby is not forgotten. By acknowledging the significance of the day, we help create space for memory, connection, and healing.
You can learn to be whole even though a piece of your heart will always be missing.
In your own way. In your own time. At your own pace.