In Louisiana, parents have rights to the remains of a child lost at any point in a pregnancy.
Children lost through Miscarriage (before 20 weeks) can be released to parents directly from the hospital. See scenarios below.
Hospitals should tell parents about this access, if the baby has to be delivered.
If the babies remains are removed via D&C in doctors office or physicians outpatient, parents may need to ask directly for the remains.
Children lost through Stillborth (after 20 weeks of pregnancy) must by law be released to a funeral home for burial/internment or cremation.
*** please note the weeks of pregnancy are determined by the week of pregnancy - not fetal age. (A demise discovered at 21 weeks is still considered over 20 weeks, even if the baby passed at a younger gestational age.)
Parents will incur a cost to bury/inter remains even with free casket and internment in Children of God Mausoleum.
If parents choose to cremate, we have crematory partnerships that will charge a flat fee of $500. The remains can then be released to parents for burial/internment.
If parents choose not to cremate, the funeral home will charge to handle the remains - picking up from the hospital, placing the baby in a casket, and delivering the casket with remains to burial/internment. We have partnerships that will charge parents $500 flat fee or slightly more. Some of our partners have caskets on hand or you can contact us to pick up and deliver the casket to your funeral home of choice.
If you miscarry at home, you can collect your child's remains in a small dish. We can provide a casket for a burial plot of your choice or for free burial at the St. George Children of God Mausoleum. In order for the remians to fit within the caskets we provide, they should be place in a container that is no more than 5 inches in diameter. This container can be provided to you from Carriers of hope.
If you need medical treatment for some reason, you are not required to bring the remains with you to the doctor/hospital.
What to expect?
The procedure will be done in a hospital or in physicians office surgery center (depending on hospital/doctor).
If your procedure is done in a hospital, you can expect to be put in touch with a hospital social worker who can help you with the steps needed and options/resources for burial/internment.
If your procedure is done in physicians office/surgery center, social workers may not be available/on staff. However, you still have rights to your child's remains and the hospital lab connected to your doctors office can hold the remains. If you chose this, a social worker from the hospital will work with you to provide your babies remains for burial/internment.
The 20 week law for access to remains only applies to hospitals, but parents should not be denied remains in any circumstance.
You do not have to have a casket or take remains home on the day of your procedure. The hospital lab will hold your child remains for you until you are ready to pick up for burial/internment.
If you decide to have lab work done, this could take some time before you can receive the remains back. In particular, testing for the child's gender could take anywhere from 2-5 weeks. Be sure to communicate with the social worker about this timeline.
When is is time to pick up your child's remains, the baby will likely be in an opaque specimen container placed in a simple box. You will sign for the remains. You can contact Carriers of Hope in advance if you would like to pick up a casket to bring with you to the hospital. Some hospitals (Woman's) may have caskets on hand to carry baby from the hospital if you chose. You can ask your social worker about this option.
Contact St. George Church (Kristel Neupert) to bring remains for internment in the Children of God Mausoleum.
You can also request a Carriers of Hope casket to bury in your own plot or crypt apart from the Children of God Mausoleum. Check with cemetery regulations on caskets. Some cemeteries require a metal vault for caskets, which we cannot provide.
Again, the hospital can hold the remains until you are ready to pick them up, having arranged burial.
What to expect...
All parents should be told that they have access to the child's remains before 20 weeks of pregnancy.
20 weeks is marked by length of pregnancy, not by the gestation of the fetus.
You should be contacted by the hospital social worker about acccess to remains for burial.
Before 20 weeks, parents are able to collect the remains directly from the hospital.
A few important points...
You do not have to take the remains with you when you leave.
The hospital lab can hold on the remains until you arrange for burial, especially if you are getting genetic testing done or waiting on confirmation of gender through testing. See note below about gender tests.
When is is time to pick up your child's remains, the baby will likely be in an opaque specimen container placed in a simple box. You will sign for the remains. You can contact Carriers of Hope in advance if you would like to pick up a casket to bring with you to the hospital. Some hospitals (Woman's) may have caskets on hand to carry baby from the hospital if you chose. You can ask your social worker about this option.
Contact St. George Church (Kristel Neupert) for internment in the Children of God Mausoleum.
This is also free of charge and open to parents of all faiths.
If you need genetic testing to confirm the sex of your baby, this could take a few weeks. If you want to confirm the gender before burial, speak with the hospital lab or social worker for a timeline on this process.
You can also request a Carriers of Hope casket to bury in your own plot or crypt apart from the Children of God Mausoleum. Check with cemetery regulations on caskets. Some cemeteries require a metal vault for caskets, which we cannot provide.
The hospital usually provides keepsakes for your baby. If your baby needs to be delivered, parents are typically able to hold baby and have baby's body in hospital room using a cooling basinet.
What to expect...
All parents should be told that they have access to the child's remains at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
20 weeks is marked by length of pregnancy, not by the gestation of the fetus.
You should be contacted by the hospital social worker or feel free inquire about release of remains to a funeral home for burial.
At 20 weeks Louisana law requires remains for burial/internment to be handled by a funeral home.
The funeral home will be required to pick up the remains from the hospital, place them in a casket and accompany them (if not cremated) to the cemetery for burial/internment. We can provide families with a casket to bring to the funeral home. This will be sized according to gestation, size of baby, and how remains are to be buried (non cremated vs cremated)
If you choose to cremate, you do not need the funeral home to accompany the baby to the cemetery. Parents can pick up those remains to place in a casket or you may be able to bring a casket for the funeral home willing to place the remains.
We have several funeral homes that allow a flat fee for either of services (cremation and non cremation) above for babies who are over 20 weeks.
Contact St. George Church (Kristel Neupert) for internment in the Children of God Mausoleum.
This is also free of charge and open to parents of all faiths.
If you need genetic testing to confirm the sex of your baby, this could take a few weeks. If you want to confirm the gender before burial, speak with the hospital lab or social worker for a timeline on this process.
You can also request a Carriers of Hope casket to bury in your own plot or crypt apart from the Children of God Mausoleum. Check with cemetery regulations on caskets. Some cemeteries require a metal vault for caskets, which we cannot provide.
The hospital usually provides keepsakes for your baby. If your baby needs to be delivered, parents are typically able to hold baby and have baby's body in hospital room using a cooling basinet.
There are many ways to remember and honor a child lost during pregnancy...
Without remains, you can still have a mass said for your child or have a memorial mass for your family.
Name your baby...what are special and meaningful names? Saints feast days?
You can order small rings and other pieces of jewelry on etsy with your child's name.
You can have your child remembered at the Shrine of the Holy Innocents shrineofholyinnocents.org/shrine-of-the-unborn
Write a letter to or poem for baby.
Buy a small statue (religious or otherwise) to remember your baby in your home.
Plant a rose bush or plant a garden in remembrance of your baby. You can place a statue that is significant to your baby or his/her name.
If you have other children you can buy a special bear or stuffed animal to remember baby. There are also several children's books available about the loss of a baby in the womb.
You can have a simple grave side service or funeral mass (for unbaptized) said for your baby. Contact your parish priest or deacon (other minister of non Catholic) to inquire about this.
Other ways to remember baby...
Name your baby...what are special and meaningful names? Saints feast days?
You can order small rings and other pieces of jewelry on etsy with your child's name.
You can have your child remembered at the Shrine of the Holy Innocents shrineofholyinnocents.org/shrine-of-the-unborn
Write a letter to or poem for baby.
Buy a small statue (religious or otherwise) to remember your baby in your home.
Plant a rose bush or plant a garden in remembrance of your baby. You can place a statue that is significant to your baby or his/her name.
If you have other children...
Depending on how the baby's remains are being placed in the casket, you can have siblings write notes, draw pictures, or choose small momentos to place in the casket with baby.
You can buy a special bear or stuffed animal to remember baby.
There are also several children's books available about the loss of a baby in the womb.
Where can I get support for the grief I am experiencing?
Red Bird Ministries offers a number of resources for personal, group and virtual grief support. These resources are coming into the Diocese of Baton Rouge! Visit Red Bird online
Visit the Diocese of Baton Rouge Website for more resources.
It is never too late to honor a child lost during pregnancy...
Many parents, especially moms, never felt like they had "permission" to honor their baby.
Name your baby...what are special and meaningful names? Saints feast days?
You can order small rings and other pieces of jewelry on etsy with your child's name.
You can have your child remembered at the Shrine of the Holy Innocents shrineofholyinnocents.org/shrine-of-the-unborn
Write a letter to or poem for baby.
You can can still have a mass said for your child or have a memorial mass for your family.
Buy a small statue (religious or otherwise) to remember your baby in your home.
Plant a rose bush or plant a garden in remembrance of your baby. You can place a statue that is significant to your baby or his/her name.
In effect since Jan. 1, the new $2,000 tax credit allows parents to claim their baby as a dependent for the year the loss occurred. This makes Louisiana the sixth state to provide such a benefit. To file the paperwork, families should request a copy of the “Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth,” which can be obtained from the hospital or free of charge from the office of vital records.