About Us

Our Mission:

The mission of Sudden Infant Death Services Mid-Atlantic is to support family members and others who have been affected by the sudden death of an infant and to provide outreach and education to help prevent infant deaths.
SIDS MA provides:

• Support to families who have suffered the death of an infant.  If you have lost a baby, please contact us and we will send you materials on coping with an infant loss, and resources for emotional support.  The death of an infant may provoke serious feelings of guilt, self-incrimination and inadequacy in family members and caregivers. Parents need the reassurance that the emotions they are experiencing are normal and a part of the healing process after such a traumatic loss. We are here to help you cope with this loss.
• Our support group meets the first Thursday evening of every month, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the McLean Presbyterian Church at 1020 Balls Hill Road in McLean Virginia.  The support group is free, open to anyone grieving the loss of a baby due to any cause and is facilitated by a professional grief counselor.
• Our annual "Celebration of Remembrance" every fall provides an opportunity for bereaved families to join together in remembering the babies we have lost.

• Training and education regarding risk reduction and prevention, including programs on Sudden Infant Death for health care providers, nurses, child care providers, emergency department staff and first responders, bereavement trainings and other programs.
• Programs available include:

  •  Keys to a Healthy Baby: Basic information on having a healthy pregnancy, for home visitors or parents.   One hour

  •  Preconception Health Care One hour

  •  Sudden Infant Death for Emergency Personnel: What is SIDS, how to deal with sudden infant death for EMT 's and ED staff.  How to help parents in this crisis  one hour

  •  Sudden Infant Death for Child Care Providers: AAP sanctioned training for child care providers     90 minutes

  •  Sudden Infant Death for Health Care Providers: comprehensive review of what sudden infant death is, current research, working with grieving parents 90 minutes

  •  Sudden Infant Death for Nursery and Post-Partum Nurses : what hospital nurses can do to teach parents about SIDS risk, evidence based guidelines for discharge 60 minutes

  •  Grief and Loss in Pregnancy and the First Year of Life: Overview of basic principles of grief and how to help parents deal with the loss of a baby 90 minutes

  •  Perinatal Depression : Overview of depression affecting childbearing women. One hour

  •  Prematurity: It's a Bigger Problem Than You Think: Prematurity, risk factors, symptoms, causes and treatment 90 minutes

  •  Five A's Smoking Cessation Program: 4 hour training to enable health care providers to help pregnant women stop smoking

  •  Perinatal Substance Abuse: perinatal substance abuse including alcohol, tobacco and drugs, effects on neonate and referrals to Project Link 90 minutes

  •  Infant Development in the First Year of Life: one hour

  •  Shaken Baby Syndrome one hour

  •  RTS Bereavement Counselor Training A 2 day course designed for health professionals, counselors and clergy to become certified as a bereavement counselor

   

• Please contact Betty Connal at bconnal@aol.com if you are interested in any of our our training programs.
• The "Cribs for Kids" program provides new portable cribs to needy families to help prevent infant deaths.  We have provided over 8000 portable cribs since beginning the program in 2004, and NO family who has received a crib through this program has subsequently suffered an infant death.  For a donation of $50, you can help save a baby's life by funding a crib.

We dedicate ourselves to:
* Providing support and information to families experiencing a sudden infant death.
* Providing educational materials, seminars, and other aids to parents, first responders, health care professionals, the clergy and the public.
* Promoting and supporting medical research into the cause and prevention of infant death.

We offer:
One-on-One Peer Support
Bereavement Resources
Support Group Meetings
Newsletter
Memorial Events
Special Events
Education & Public Awareness

SIDS Mid-Atlantic participates in associations and partners with many organizations working to end the tragedy of SIDS and other infant deaths, and to improve the health of women, families, and infants.

• Betty Connal, RN, MS – Executive Director   bconnal@aol.com