Bottom Drawer Boxes

Bottom Drawer Boxes is a project conceived by @thebabylossmentor in Australia that I would like to share with the Infant and Pregnancy Loss Support (IPLS) community. All recognition of the idea belongs to The Baby Loss Mentor. The Bottom Drawer Box project is on my “to-do” list for the future. The project would require a funding source. The Bottom Drawer Box project recognizes that business owners, community organizations, or industry leaders are likely going to encounter an employee experiencing baby loss. Navigating a loss response after an employee’s baby loss can be confusing and daunting for some employers. Encouraging business & organizational leaders to take a gentle, well-informed, responsive support role is important. The more that businesses and individuals understand how a pregnancy or infant loss can affect a parent’s life, the more they can offer empathy and practical help.  Not all families want to acknowledge their loss, but for those who do, it can be a comfort to know that their workplace is thinking of them at this difficult time.

Photo from Unsplash.

I think the project could be executed in one of two ways: 

1. providing employers in your community with printed information on supporting pregnancy and infant loss in the workplace, and little care boxes for their bereaved employees; or

2. printed information on dealing with pregnancy & infant loss in the workplace for the employers and a small box of loss recognition items, such as a candle for the workplace to light in honor of the bereaved family, and some suggestions for appropriate locally sourced bereavement gifts. And little care boxes for their bereaved employees. The boxes for the employer could include a note card that says “all the info you need, if one of your staff members, a client, or patient experiences the unimaginable; pregnancy or infant loss.  Check out the resources and then pop it in the bottom drawer until you need it. Hopefully you won’t. But don’t hesitate to open it if you do.”  Items you could put in the employee’s bereavement box include community bereavement resources, affirmation cards, flower petals, a symbol of a feather, a candle for special anniversaries or remembrance days, a pocket pebble or gemstone, ribbon, or bracelet. Personally, I also like the option of considering the acknowledgement of the non-birthing parent, too.

Imagine being a part of changing the landscape of bereavement response in your community. All that many bereaved parents want is for their workplaces to acknowledge what has happened. If anyone does find The Bottom Drawer Box a worthwhile project to support the baby loss community in their scope of service as an IPLS, and secures funding to bring it to fruition, I would love to hear about your experience.

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Kelly Hurley is an HHA graduate and has an Infant and Pregnancy Loss Doula (IPLD) practice in British Columbia. You can learn more about her at bio.site/withgracekellyhurley or https://www.withgracecranbrookfunerals.com/