About
Parents Orphelins
As parents grieving from pregnancy and infant loss, our mission is to help other parents through this difficult hardship.
Parents Orphelins, the Québec Association of parents grieving from pregnancy and infant loss, is a non-profit organization that was established June 10, 2008 and was registered in September 2008.
Parents Orphelins Association represents all the parents who experience a pregnancy and infant grief, that is to say, anyone who had a pregnancy that ended in the death of a baby, which occurred during pregnancy, during birth or in the first year of life.
Administered by and for parents grieving from pregnancy and infant loss, the mission of Parents Orphelins is to bring together parents going through pregnancy and infant grief, residing in Québec, so they can help each other while enjoying complementary services to those found in health care services. Become strenght is in numbers, Sign up to become a member
History
March 31, 2006, Véronique Latte, a Montrealer, gives birth to her first baby, Maëlie Huard, who will live only a week. Parents must make the difficult decision to end the suffering of their baby and to see her die in their arms, along with their dreams.
Following a long process of grief, this mother, who did not find most of the resources and support she would have needed, decided to establish an NPO, by and for parents grieving their baby, the Québec Association for parents grieving from pregnancy and infant loss. She deeply wished to offer bereaved parents what she missed so much: a recognition and a support network. The project therefore simmers for two years.
Since the bereaved mothers’ friendship greatly helped her through her mourning, it is with them that she wanted to start this project. Three other moms, good friends, ready to invest in the project, thus became proud partners and administrative members of the organization Parents Orphelins: Julie Brisson, Annie Grondin and Marie-Eve Darveau. Their goal: provide an official voice for parents grieving from pregnancy and infant loss, bringing them together across Québec!
Chronology
June 10, 2008 : Beginning of Parents Orphelins
September 2008 : Registration of Parents Orphelins as a nonprofit organization in Québec
December 2008 : Start-up of first activities and gathering of Parents Orphelins
September 2009 : Opening of the head office in Montreal
October 2009 : Launch of the website and the virtual support service
October 15, 2009 : First awareness campaign and creation of the ribbon
October 15, 2010 : Awareness campaign and media tour
May 2011 : First official Annual General Meeting (AGM)
October 15, 2011 : Awareness campaign (launch of the web advertisements “The mourning of a lifetime”)
October 15, 2012 : Awareness campaign (publication of the Information Guide)
August 2013 : Procurement of charitable organization status
October 15, 2013 : Awareness campaign on social media
October 3, 2014 : Evening on awareness and first Candle March
October 15, 2014 : Awareness campaign
November 2014 : Regional development of gathering
October 15, 2015 : Second edition of the Candle March
April 2016 : Launch of the new website of Parents Orphelins
October 15, 2018 : Fundraising campaign $ 10 for our 10 years, to mark the 10 years of the Association
Mission
Parents Orphelins, the Québec Association of parents grieving from pregnancy and infant loss, has set themselves a goal. Their mission is to help other parents through this difficult ordeal by breaking the isolation, by documenting, by informing and by educating the population of Québec on the subject of pregnancy and infant grief. The Association encourages mutual assistance among bereaved parents in Québec, health care professionals and supporters to the cause.
Parents Orphelins has chosen to represent all parents who experience a pregnancy and infant loss, regardless of the period when their baby died. In this instance, Parents Orphelins believes that anyone who has lived a pregnancy which resulted in the death of a baby before the age of one can indeed feel that this person is experiencing pregnancy and infant grief.
In other words, we believe that the sorrow is not measured by the number of weeks of pregnancy or the weeks of life of the baby but by the magnitude of the dream that the parents carried in them and also by the intensity of the feeling of already being parents.
Sensitization
Awareness Day on pregnancy and infant grief (October 15)
Upon its creation in June 2008, Parents Orphelins initiates an awareness campaign, surrounding October 15, in reference to the different activities and celebrations taking place in several countries on that date. Québec Awareness Day on pregnancy and infant grief is born as a result of the initiative of Parents Orphelins. The campaign’s goal is to reveal the reality of many families affected annually in Québec and to offer recognition.
The pink and blue ribbon
Parents Orphelins created a blue and pink ribbon symbolizing the cause of pregnancy and infant loss, taking inspiration from what already existed in other countries around the world. This unique ribbon has now become the symbol of awareness of pregnancy and infant bereavement in the province. The pink and blue ribbon inspires commemoration of the deceased babies by people who loved them. Blue is used to represent baby boys and pink to represent baby girls. Pink and blue are juxtaposed together and loop shaped to illustrate mutual support and rallying to the cause.
You can purchase the lapel pin of the Québec ribbon pregnancy and infant grief.
Board of Directors
2021-2022
- Anie Grondin, president
- Myriam Deslandes, accounting
- Emilie Veillette, secretary
- Chantal Drouin, administrator
- Julie Charbonneau, administrator