Examples of How Miscarriage Supply Totes are Used by Facilities
Emergency Rooms
If a mother comes in due to cramping and bleeding. In the tote there are appropriate vessels if the baby is passed on the gurney, miscarriage kits to keep the baby from falling into a toilet (especially automatic flush toilets) if the mother passes the baby while using the restroom, as well as miscarriage kits and vessel covers to send home with the mother if she is returning home to complete the miscarriage.
Doctor Offices
If a mother finds out about her impending miscarriage at the doctor office, the tote will enable the office to send her home with the appropriate supplies. If the mother calls in to say that she miscarried or if blood work shows that she will be miscarrying, the doctor office can invite her to come in to pick up a miscarriage kit or burial vessel and appropriate vessel wrap from the tote.
Funeral Homes
If a baby is sent to a lab for testing, the family may not be able to pick their baby up from the lab and instead will need a funeral home to do so. The babies sometimes return from the lab in various medical vessels instead of a nice burial vessel. The miscarriage tote has various burial vessels that the funeral home can transfer the baby to and then place the vessel in a nice cloth wrap before presentation to the family. There are also small caskets available in the tote. I frequently hear of funeral homes offering cremation for miscarried babies. The resources in the totes will enable the funeral home to offer burial without cremation. This also enables a funeral home to assist a family if they call saying they have had a miscarriage and are looking for an appropriate casket or burial vessel.
Natural Family Planning Instructors
Sometimes the natural family planning instructor is one of the first people that a mother confides in when she finds out she is having a miscarriage. Having miscarriage supplies available in the instructor's office enable the instructor to provide those resources to her clients. In my experience, I personally had someone call me at night because they needed a burial vessel for their baby since the doctor office and funeral home were both closed. My being able to provide that for the family brought them so much comfort. It is important that when the client notifies the instructor that they are pregnant, that the instructor lets them know there are resources available if a miscarriage would happen. That reminds the client to keep the instructor informed regarding the pregnancy.
OB Units
If a mother is sent to the OB unit from the emergency room or doctor office to receive more specialized care in the midst of her miscarriage. The tote has appropriate burial vessels and wraps or a small casket for the hospital staff to present the baby to the family after the baby is born.
Pregnancy Resource Centers
If a mother comes in for an ultrasound and there is no heartbeat, she can have a miscarriage kit and burial vessel sent home with her in addition to being referred to her physician.
Surgery Centers/Mothers Having a D&C
If a mother comes in for a D&C and takes her baby home with her, the surgery center could get an appropriate vessel and wrap from the tote to present the baby to the family. If the baby is being sent out to a lab for testing, the surgery center could still give the family an appropriate burial vessel and wrap to give to the funeral home for when they pick the baby up from the lab. The babies sometimes return from the lab in various medical vessels instead of a nice burial vessel.
Ultrasound Departments
If a mother comes in and there is no heartbeat and she is sent home to see if she miscarries on her own. The mother can be given a miscarriage kit and vessel cover out of the tote so that she is prepared.