A mutual support group for parents who have experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death

Most pregnancies end happily, with a healthy baby and delighted parents. In those few cases where the pregnancy ends unhappily in miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death, the parents may experience grief that is intense and long lasting.

ILAC meetings are for parents who have suffered the loss of their baby. Their experiences of loss are different, but the parents share the complex, bewildering, and painful feelings of grief. Although each person must resolve her or his own grief, the members care about and support each other during the healing process.

ILAC is a non-profit organization supported by tax-exempt donations. No fees or dues are charged. Group meetings are held weekly on Tuesdays, 6:30pm at Christian Covenant Fellowship, 1025 S. Division St. in Carterville, IL. The church can be reached at 618-985-4011. Some members talk more than others; others mostly listen. Attendance and discussion are confidential.

To provide for helpful contact with parents outside the group setting, some members have completed a professionally conducted helper training program. They provide immediate counseling services when referral services are received.

Counseling through personal contact, telephone calls, and letters is offered to bereaved parents who are unable to attend meetings or prefer not to attend. Reading material is also available.

Parents who have lost a child beyond the age of infancy have also found ILAC meetings helpful.

Consultants for ILAC are Birthing Center Registered Nurses who care for parents experiencing an infant loss through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death.

For more information about ILAC meetings or to make a referral, contact:

• Tammy Chamness, 549-0721 ext. 65200
• Sandra Hanshaw, 549-0721 ext. 65293
• Bro. Ralph Brandon, 985-4011