Kansas City Resources

Support Groups

BLOOM – (organized and hosted by Emilia’s Wings) is a Kansas City-based support group for parents who have experienced the death of a baby during pregnancy or in infancy.

Pregnancy and infant loss can take many forms, and every family’s experience is unique.  BLOOM welcomes parents grieving any pregnancy or infant loss, including:

  • Miscarriage, including chemical pregnancy and recurrent pregnancy loss
  • Ectopic or molar pregnancy
  • Stillbirth
  • Pregnancy termination for medical reasons (TFMR)
  • Abortion-related loss
  • Loss of one or more babies in a multiple pregnancy
  • Neonatal or infant death, including NICU loss
  • Loss related to prematurity, congenital conditions, illness, or unexpected circumstances

Don’t see your experience listed? This list is not exhaustive, and you do not need to fit into a specific category to be welcome at BLOOM. We recognize that pregnancy and infant loss can encompass many different experiences, and we welcome parents who are grieving a loss that falls within this broader community.

Group gatherings are held on the first Thursday of every month from 7:00–8:30 p.m. at the North Kansas City Public Library in North Kansas City, Missouri.

Both mothers and fathers are welcome to attend, whether together or individually, as each person’s journey through grief is their own.  We welcome parents no matter how recently or long ago their loss occurred.

We also create meaningful opportunities for connection and remembrance throughout the year, including our Mother’s Day Tea, Backyard Bonfire, Walk to Remember, Holiday Candlelight Ceremony, and memorial crafting gatherings.

Advent Health Pregnancy After a Loss Support Group – A new pregnancy can be scary when you’ve experienced a loss in the past. Find support from women who have had similar experiences and learn coping strategies from a licensed professional.  This group meets the second and fourth Thursday of every month from 7 to 8:30 pm, in the Community Education Room, located within the AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Outpatient Entrance.  For more information, call 913-632-4223.

The Compassionate Friends – When a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and may feel hopeless and isolated.  The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.  Kansas City is fortunate to have 4 local chapters spread across the metro.

Mornings With Dads – A 501(c)(3), non-profit, that is devoted to helping grieving fathers through the healing power of friendship.  While not specifically geared towards Pregnancy & Infant Loss, the men in their group have children who have died at all ages and from many different causes. They meet in Lenexa, Kansas the first Saturday of each month.

Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Group – This group is designed for individuals walking through the loss of pregnancy or infant death, providing a place to share your story and find community.  This group will be fluid with the opportunity to share your story and talk about the struggles of grief as it pertains to pregnancy and infant death.  The group gathers on the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 7-9pm in Belton, MO.  Contact Micaiah at micaiahshahan@gmail.com for location details or if you have any questions.

You Made Me Mom – A South Kansas City-based support group for mothers who have lost babies during pregnancy or infancy.  The group gathers on the third Thursday of every month from 7-9 pm in Brookside (KCMO).  Email Amy (amy@youmadememom.com) for address details.

Other

Alexandra’s House – A community based, peer support perinatal hospice program that provides active management and hope for families pregnant with or who have a baby with lethal anomalies and who is expected to die near or shortly after birth.  Part of their services includes helping to bring meaning to the families’ suffering, birth planning, attending doctor’s visits, testing, photography sessions, hospital-based labor and delivery, coordination of memorial services, and long-term bereavement care.

Centimano Counseling – The first and only specialty practice for perinatal counseling in the Kansas City metropolitan area.  1 in 7 women will experience depression, anxiety, or other distressing thoughts and feelings during pregnancy, postpartum, after a loss, or during the infertility process.  Sometimes the overwhelming feelings, thoughts and circumstances can no longer be navigated alone. Fortunately, symptoms can be managed with the guidance of professional help.  We are a team of mental health therapists and healthcare professionals that specialize in the mental health and well-being of women and their families in the reproductive years.  

Kyleigh’s Gift – Created in memory of Kyleigh Elizabeth Weller, who passed away at birth on April 5, 2012, at the Liberty Hospital Birthing Center.  With the support of the Liberty Hospital Foundation, Kyleigh’s Gift supports bereaved families by providing Miscarriage Care Packages, sibling and parental bereavement books, and other bereavement resources to patients at Liberty Hospital.  Kyleigh’s Gift also encourages safe sleep practices for newborns by providing a Halo SleepSack for all newborns at The Liberty Hospital Birthing Center.  The Kyleigh’s Gift 5K Run/Walk is held in October and includes a candlelight ceremony to recognize National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

Lullaby of Hope – A ministry for women journeying through infertility, pregnancy, or infant loss.  They provide curated gift boxes and ship nationwide.

Serendipity Photography – A Kansas City-based Photographer specializing in memorial Photography.  An infant loss mom herself, Allix loves to bless other families in their journey of pregnancy or child loss by honoring their baby through Photography.  facebook.com/SerendipityPhotography5/

Star Legacy Foundation | Kansas City Chapter – On a mission to support families who have experienced loss, while partnering with our local medical community to provide research-based education around supports and practices that will ultimately limit the number of stillbirths in Kansas City and the surrounding area.  We are the parents, grandparents, siblings, relatives, and friends of beloved stillborn babies. We know the pain and devastation of losing a child to stillbirth and believe every pregnancy deserves a happy ending.