Photo By Seaman Imani Daniels | PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Dec. 5, 2019) Grieving parents, along with Naval Medical Center...... read more read more
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Dec. 5, 2019) Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) held a remembrance service for parents who have experienced the great loss and heartache of losing an infant. The Perinatal Bereavement Candle Lighting Remembrance Service was hosted in NMCP’s chapel on Dec. 5. The annual service continues to bring together grieving parents and their loved ones, showing support and sharing their stories to honor the memories of their babies.
“We have this ceremony annually,” said Norma Dawn Knight-Pongratz, Perinatal Bereavement coordinator. “We like to bring our families and staff together to honor babies and remember the children, however brief their lives were. The holidays tend to be really difficult times for families after they’ve experienced a loss. We want to give them something to honor their little ones and bring them that love and peace.”
The Perinatal Bereavement Team hosts this service in December with intent, acknowledging that getting through the holiday season with such grief can be a difficult time.
“This ceremony reunites the families who have experienced loss,” said Jenn Kovelkoski, Labor and Delivery nurse and Perinatal Bereavement team member. “We’re hoping this gives these families some closure to a horrible process. We aspire to brighten the light that may be dim.”
Many of the infants who were mourned during the service were lost to a variety of reasons, from miscarriage and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) to ectopic pregnancy and newborn death. Whatever the circumstance, the parents and loved ones came together to support one another and give each other hope.
Along with the stories of loss that were shared and a poem of remembrance reading, there were also songs of reflection played, which included a version of “Winter Bear” by Coby Grant. The service concluded with the candle lighting and a prayer circle.
As the U.S. Navy's oldest, continuously-operating military hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The nationally-acclaimed, state-of-the-art medical center, along with the area's 10 branch health and TRICARE Prime Clinics, provide care for the Hampton Roads area. The medical center also supports premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsman for future roles in healing and wellness.
| Date Taken: | 12.05.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2019 13:26 |
| Story ID: | 354814 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NMCP’s Perinatal Bereavement Team Offers Remembrance Service, by SN Imani Daniels, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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