“Making plans for dealing with the death of your wished-for child is the Beginning of saying good-bye” (Malcom & Wooten, 1984)
The death of a baby is one of the most difficult losses a family can experience. After your baby dies, you will need to make arrangements for taking care of the body. To assist you in your decision making, we would like to provide the following information.
You will need to contact a funeral home of your choice to inform them of your baby’s death. You do not need to contact them immediately, calling in the next day or two is okay. A list of funeral homes is provided below. Any of these funeral homes can help with burial, cremation and memorial services. They are also able to make arrangements with out-of-town funeral homes.
Depending upon your choice of arrangements, you may need to purchase a casket, burial plot or urn. The funeral home can help arrange this and outline the costs for you. When cremation is chosen, you will need to provide an urn, which can be purchased through the funeral home or you can provide your own. If you have chosen to have an autopsy, you will need to notify the funeral home that the baby’s body can be picked-up from Alberta Children’s Hospital. Autopsy should not delay funeral plans.
Some families may wish to obtain a death certificate; this can be arranged at any Alberta Registry Office after approximately six weeks (costs may vary).
Alberta Health Services does not endorse any particular Funeral Home. Visit the Alberta Funeral Service Directory to find the appropriate funeral service provider for you
