Our services
TFMR (termination for medical reasons)
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.
TFMR (termination for medical reasons)
Painful Choices is Knafayim’s support group for mothers after a termination for medical reasons. See the support groups
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In-person consultation
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When an expectant couple is blindsided with the devastating diagnosis that their baby may not survive the pregnancy or birth, they’re thrown into a turmoil of confusion and terrifying medical terminology. We provide immediate in-person option counseling, referrals to top doctors and assistance in getting appointments for second opinions, and access to the highest level of medical care and rabbinic guidance, empowering them to make informed and supported decisions regarding their next steps.
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Guidance & referrals
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Once the painful decision to terminate the pregnancy has been made, Knafayim is there for ongoing guidance, patient advocacy, and family support throughout the difficult process, with referrals to the specialists and medical centers best suited to the couple’s unique situation.
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Emotional doula services
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Whether it’s a scheduled D&E or an attempted natural delivery, one of our specially trained emotional doulas will be there to support the couple through the procedure 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 they want 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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When the pregnancy ends, 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 the termination of a pregnancy 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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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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Phone support groups
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In a community where the decision to terminate for medical reasons is never discussed, holding this loss can be an extremely isolating and lonely experience. Our phone support groups are a place of comfort and healing where women can feel safe to openly share their stories and support each other through their grief, moderated by licensed mental health professionals. (In-person groups may be available depending on location.)
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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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Collaborative care
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A diagnosis of fetal anomaly results in a team of medical professionals in various specialties. Our relationships and connections within the medical community allow us to create a supportive web of collaborative, cohesive, and compassionate care.
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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.
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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.
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.