Nurses create new care standard for baby loss

Nurses at Progress West Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, are changing how hospitals handle the death of a baby. The group aims to provide consistent support for families who lose a child before, during, or shortly after delivery.

Kayla Hollingshead, Jennifer Koskela, Janie Mullinnax, and Jeannette Hickey founded the Butterfly Kisses Alliance in 2023. All four work as labor and delivery nurses at the same hospital. They started the nonprofit because they felt the emotional weight of caring for grieving mothers was affecting their own work. Hollingshead noted that nurses grieve alongside families during what is often the worst day of their lives.

The nurses identified a gap in medical practice. While most diagnoses have a defined standard of care, Hollingshead said no such standard existed for unexpected infant loss. She argued that families should receive a consistent level of care across the country. The alliance created a new protocol now used at their hospital, which dictates how office staff speak to families and how ultrasound technicians operate.

The organization also assembles comfort kits containing books, cards, and self-care items. These packages are mailed to families around the world who have experienced loss. The kits help families cope with the physical and emotional changes that follow a pregnancy loss.

Kelsey and Greg Fussner lost their daughter, Nora, in 2023. Kelsey was at 38 weeks and three days pregnant when doctors told her there was no heartbeat. She waited eight hours for surgery to deliver the baby. The nursing staff at the hospital included the four women who founded the alliance. They removed baby items from her room and closed doors to other patients to give the family privacy.

Before the Fussners left the hospital, the nurses gave Kelsey a weighted stuffed elephant. The toy was stuffed to match Nora’s exact weight of eight pounds and 13 ounces. The team also packed a kit with Nora’s hospital blanket, footprints, a necklace, a quilt, and photos. Kelsey described the pictures as her only memory of her daughter.

A few months later, Kelsey discovered she was pregnant again. She chose to keep her delivery date for April 10, 2024, the same date Nora had originally been due. She gave birth to a daughter named Abigail on that day. The alliance continues to offer online resources for mothers, fathers, siblings, and grandparents dealing with loss.