Certificate of Life for pregnancy loss before 20 weeks

Every pēpi | baby, no matter how briefly they were with us, deserves to be recognised. Our Certificate of Life is a heartfelt keepsake created especially for whānau who have experienced pregnancy loss before 20 weeks - a time when no formal registration is required by law, but when grief is no less real.

What is a Certificate of Life?

A Certificate of Life is a meaningful, personal document that acknowledges the existence of your pēpi | baby. Unlike the legal birth or death registration that applies to losses after 20 weeks, there is currently no official government record for pēpi | babies who die before this point. This certificate does not replace any legal document - it exists simply to honour your pēpi | baby and give your wh?nau something tangible to hold onto.

Many whānau tell us that having a physical acknowledgement of their baby's life - with their name, their dates, and words that recognise them - brings a measure of comfort during an incredibly difficult time.

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TABS (Trauma and Birth Stress)

TABS is Trauma And Birth Stress, a Charitable Trust that serves as an information based website. We have in common stressful and traumatic pregnancies or births that affected our lives negatively for months or years afterwards. We formed TABS because of the need to make PTSD known as a form of mental illness that can happen following childbirth, but quite distinct from the Baby Blues, Post Natal Depression (Post Partum Depression) and Post Natal Psychosis.
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Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee

The Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee (PMMRC) is an independent committee that advises the Minster of Health on how to reduce the number of deaths of babies and mothers in New Zealand. The PMMRC was established in June 2005 under sections 11 and 18 of the New Zealand Health and Disability Act 2000. The Committee met for the first time in August 2005.
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Whakawhetu

Whakawhetu National SIDS Prevention for Maori is a national kaupapa Maori organisation dedicated to supporting whanau to nurture and protect their babies from the risk of SUDI through strengthening the services they engage with. We provide policy advice, disseminate evidence based information, deliver training and education and strengthen existing workforce development.
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A Guide To Post Mortems (From PMMRC)

This pànui is for whànau, families, parents, kaitiaki and caregivers who are trying to decide whether or not to consent to a post mortem to be undertaken on their baby who has died during the perinatal period. Perinatal deaths are those of a baby of at least 20 weeks gestation. Both stillborn babies and babies who die within the first month of life are included. Asking a grieving family or whànau to consent to a post mortem of their baby is difficult as it is a time of stress and grief. However, a post mortem can provide additional information as to the cause of death and may assist in preventing future deaths.
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Action To Improve Maternity (AIM)

We have lost children, or have children who are now compromised. Some of the new mothers in our network have been affected themselves by poor care leading to serious and at times, fatal avoidable treatment injuries. We have become knowledgeable enough to realise these poor outcomes have come about due to systemic failings of the maternity system in New Zealand.
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