Finally the CSB bill (NYS A.8178) passed!

what can i say but thanks to the many other parents and friends that helps us get this bill through the Assembly, way & means, Rules, and senate in the last week after years of struggle and fight our children's silent entries in the world will no longer be disregarded.

my daughter and for the many others i thanks the co-sponsors and the leadership of our lobbying group Still Parents NY.

please take a moment to watch this video of Senator Kennedy's remarks about this bill.




and


** minor note the bill was changed right in the last few days of our lobbying efforts and the actual name is Certificate of Still Birth Bill.

First Candle Symposium 2009: round tables & welcome

Morning roundtable roundup


I co-hosted with pat flynn from 1st Breath, the State and Local Support groups roundtable.

Please check out some of the groups I met working hard to support families coping with Stillbirth, SIDS/SUIDS

1st Breath, kansas city, mo web info tbp

SIDS center of Indiana http://in.SIDS.org
MISSfoundation
And various groups in the DCarea I will post later

Excellent and in vigorating key note by Dr.yvonne maddox

My girl Olive Lucy... I'll never forget.

A candle to remember, may it burn ever so bright
As we look to the heavens on this very night.
Beyond the stars, our dear babies soar
Embraced by their Savior on heaven's shores.
As the angels protect them and sing their sweet names
We honor their lives with the glow of this flame.
So we light this candle for our precious babies tonight
As a symbol of our love and their eternal life.

~Author unknown

Please remember to light a candle at 7:00pm tonight.

Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act [Support]

I knew a long time ago who i supported in these troubling political times. But i when this bill was announced my vote was further solidified.  we wear our Obama pins proudly and prominently.  

Our daughter Olive Lucy died  during labor and was subsequently stillborn for a reason none can explain, or prove without some kind of  inference rather than actual evidence or more research.  her cause of death UNKNOWN. although as far as the government is concerned she wasn't Born at all. Aside from the NYC Health Depts. Spontaneous Certificate of Termination there is NO record of my daughter demise or existence this bill will help to establish a national registry and hopefully bring about Standardized Postpartum reporting of all perinatal loss --fetal demise, Late term miscarriage, Stillbirth, SUDS and SIDS alike.  Standardized reporting is essential to the research needed to end unexplained fetal death.

It is estimated that even with all the advances in maternal fetal medicine that between 12- 50% of fetal death are without causation. ( Incerpi M, Miller D, Samadi R, et al.: Stillbirth evalutaion: What tests are needed? American Journal of Ogstetrics and Gynecology 1998; 178:1121-5.) OUR  babies are dying, have died and will continue to die  from unknown causes until this bill is passed and the resaerch is mandated by the federal government.  

I know this isn't a war about oil on foreign soil or an economic crisis on Wall street but this is a War to save other families the fate that Watson & i have suffered, that each and every mother or father that has lost a child during pregnancy to some Unknown  cause is given an answer to the "WHY does this happen" question and then hopefully it can be prevented in the future. 

I beg you to support this bill. ~Christine

the following section was Originally Posted on 6/24/08 as Federal legislation: H.R. 5979 & Preventing Stillbirth and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Act of 2008 before the blog moved... now retitled and moved here!

Hooray for Senators Obama & King for shining some much needed light on the need for Stillbirth and Sudden infant death research as well as a national registry. I urge you all to ask you federal representaives to support these Acts.

Obama Introduces Preventing Stillbirth and SUID Act of 2008

H.R. 5979, The Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act of 2008

From the folks at First Candle!

First Candle is pleased to announce its full support of the Preventing Stillbirth and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Act of 2008 which was introduced on Tuesday, June 17th by U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. The bill would establish a national stillbirth and SUID registry and promote prevention and risk reduction activities nationwide.

Each year, more than 25,000 women in the United States experience a stillbirth and approximately 4,500 infants die suddenly and unexpectedly. First Candle, a leading health organization dedicated to safe pregnancies and the survival of babies through the first year of life, has served as a lead advisor to Senator Obama in crafting the bill.

First Candle urges you to write to your Senators and encourage them to join Senator Obama by adding their name as cosponsor of this important legislation.

Additionally, we also invite you to support H.R. 5979, the Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act of 2008, introduced by Congressman Peter King of New York.

To learn more today about these groundbreaking bills visit www.firstcandle.org. Thank you for your support in the belief that every baby should live.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day: Take Action

I am taking action my orignal post about this subject was made when the bill was first announced and then i moved my entire blog... sorry. so for the the cause and at the urging of antigone to this page i am asking you all to take action! Do it now there have been to many babies lost to stillbirth and our country needs to take a more proactive stance on advocacy, research, and registry for these infant and their parents.~ christine

October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in the United States. More than 25,000 children are stillborn in the United States every year leaving mothers, entire families and communities devastated. Estimates of the rate of occurrence of stillbirth make it at least as common as autism.

Stillbirth is not an intractable problem. Greater research would likely significantly reduce its incidence, but good research requires good data. H.R. 5979: Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act is under consideration by Congress. This proposed bill would standardize stillbirth investigation and diagnosis, thus providing more data for the needed research. Better research means fewer children born still.

On October 15th, remember the thousands of unfinished children lost and the families who remain to grieve them. Honor them by taking action. Let's help pass H.R. 5979.

Action Steps:

Step 1. Use Your Blog to Enlist Others
-Copy the contents of this entire post and publish it on your blog immediately.

GOAL: Enlist 10 of your readers to spread the word

Step 2. Use Your E-mail to Enlist Others
-E-mail 5 bloggers and ask them (nicely and in an unspammy way) to publish these action steps on their blog. Consider contacting celebrity bloggers, political bloggers, medical bloggers, or bloggers who are not part of your reading community.

GOAL: Enlist 3 bloggers outside of your normal blog sphere to spread the word in other online communities.

Step 3. Help Pass the Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act
-By October 15th, publish a post on your blog supporting H.R. 5979 Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act. For maximum impact, title your post: "Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act."

GOAL: 1,000,000 Google results on October 15th when that term is searched for. Currently, Google only returns 20,400 pages - most of which have nothing to do with the bill.

Wave of light... OCT 15, 2008

Original post was made 10/10/07 this is a repost.



On Oct 15th we will be participating in the Wave of Light to remember Lucy

For more information on the Wave of light please visit October15th.com
Stillbirth Statics are tough to find and quote, but it is far more common that you may realize. I have heard everything from 1 in 125 births result in Stillbirth, to 1 in 1000. I have also read that as many as 71 infants are born still each day worldwide. I did read through the WHO (World Health Organization) 2006 Neonatal and perinatal mortality Global estimates which contained estimates of stillbirth rates worldwide. Now, I am even more sure that this is something that affect many families.

So light a candle on OCT 15th @ 7:00pm and remember all the babies; pregnancies, stillbirths and infants loss the world suffers through silently.

Lucy's Journey

Originally posted 9/25/07
This slide show was created by Lucy's father and uncle Joey for her funeral service. please stop the music player to view the slide show.


Lucy, Your dad & I love & miss you very much.

Sad sad news

Please forgive me for this post which may seem cold and distant via these means, but i need to let you all know that watson and I lost our perfect little angel in the early morning hours on Monday.

I went into labor on Sunday and when we went to the hospital that evening, at that time everything was perfect, my heart rate the baby's, everything- I was progressing. I wasn't just yet far enough along to stay so they sent me home. Through the night I continued to have contractions and time them. We returned to the hospital next morning at 6:30 am and at that time they were no longer able to find a heart beat. More and more Doctors tried to find it and soon our room was filled with so many that we knew that things had gone very wrong. We were told that at some time during the night our precious angel's heart had stopped beating. There is no explanation that could be found at that time. There is a chance that we will never know what was the cause. Because I was already in labor and because we were full term we delivered her with the assistance of some pain meds and a room full of loving nursing staff and our OB. At 3:38pm Monday, August 27, 2007 our perfect angel arrived.

Olive Lucy Kawecki
Aug 27, 2007 3:38 PM
7 lbs, 8 oz.
22 1/2 inches long.
And she has great big clown feet.

Please keep us in your prayers and if you would like to call we appreciate that too we may not answer but please leave a message. If you are nearby and would like to join us for the memorial service that will be Friday Aug 31st @ 12 noon we will post more of that info later soon. In lieu of flowers Donations can be made in her name: Olive Lucy Kawecki to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. More info to follow on this as well. Kiss your children for us and give them our love.