Our Advocacy

At Bridget’s Bunnies, our mission has always been bigger than a single moment of care.

Advocacy at the Heart of Our Work

At Bridget’s Bunnies, our mission has always been bigger than a single moment of care. Comfort kits may be the most visible part of our work today but advocacy is where our story truly began.

Before there was an organization, before a great name or a cute logo or the support of this community, there were two grieving parents sitting in the manager’s office on the very unit where they had said both hello and goodbye to their baby. In their heartbreak, they asked a simple but urgent question: “How can this be better for those who follow us down this terrible path?”

They brought their lived experience to the manager of the unit – honestly and with a firm belief that no one should endure loss without compassion and support. And she listened. Together, they began building the first changes that would eventually ripple across our region: better resources, clearer pathways, and a more human, more dignified experience for those navigating pregnancy and infant loss.

That meeting - one conversation rooted in grief, courage, and hope - became the foundation of Bridget’s Bunnies. Advocacy isn’t something we added later. It is who we are. It is how we began, and it is how we continue to create meaningful, lasting change.

After losing our daughter, it was hard to get the staff to engage with us or arrange an induction. We were handed a package on an old letterhead and pushed to the side with little consideration of our needs. This made an immensely difficult and sad situation even worse.

–Theresa and Mat, Co-founders of Bridget’s Bunnies

What We Advocate For

We are dedicated to raising awareness and driving change in how pregnancy and infant loss are understood and supported. Our advocacy focuses on ensuring families receive compassionate care, professionals have the right tools, and communities are equipped with the knowledge to respond with sensitivity.

Driving System-Level Change in Simcoe Muskoka

Since 2017, we’ve worked with hospitals, healthcare providers, and community partners to expand resources and strengthen supports for grieving parents. The growth of services across Simcoe Muskoka reflects years of steady, collaborative advocacy rooted in lived experience. Our focus is impact and today, families across the region feel that difference.

Elevating Lived Experience to Decision-Makers

Systemic change takes courage, which is why we work directly with elected officials to keep pregnancy and infant loss present in policy conversations. Our efforts include supporting Shakhnoza Nasim in sharing her daughter’s story and advancing the Ontario Stillbirth Certificate. When a parent’s voice needs to reach decision-makers, we help carry it.

Partnering with Healthcare Providers to Transform Care

Our advocacy includes co-chairing the Early Pregnancy Complications and Loss Taskforce within the Women and Children’s Health Network, ensuring this issue stays central in regional planning. We collaborate with healthcare teams, providing training, resources, and patient-experience insights that shape trauma-informed, compassionate care. These partnerships lead to real improvements in programs, protocols, and support.

Our Impact

300

Hours of
Training Provided

11

Hospital Partners

13

Midwifery and
Community Providers

Comfort Kit Providers

- Collingwood General Marine Hospital
- Etobicoke General Hospital
  - Women and Children
- Georgian Bay General Hospital
- Health Sciences North, Sudbury
- Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare Bracebridge (SMMH)
- Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare Huntsville (HDMH)
- Norfolk General Hospital
- Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital
  - Emergency Department
  - PACU
- Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
- Stevenson Memorial Hospital
- West Parry Sound Health Centre
- Collingwood Well Baby Clinic
- Community Midwives of Ottawa
- Midland Midwives by the Bay
- Midwives of Muskoka
- Almaguin Highlands Family Health Team
- Christina’s Place
- Envisage Pregnancy Services
- Health Sciences North, Sudbury
  - Birthing Centre
- Hospice Simcoe
- Legacy Funeral and Cremation Services
- Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin
- North Muskoka NP-Led Clinic
- Simcoe County CAPC/CPNP

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Comfort Kit Provider

Our Community Effort That Depends on You

This is what systemic change looks like: steady, persistent, community-rooted work shaped by compassion and lived experience. And this is where our supporters make all the difference.

When you invest in Bridget’s Bunnies, you’re not only putting comfort into a parent’s hands during their moment of crisis. You’re helping transform the way our entire region understands, responds to, and supports those experiencing pregnancy and infant loss. Your generosity fuels advocacy, strengthens partnerships, and builds a future where no one endures loss alone.

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"As a labour and delivery nurse I have had the privilege and honour to be a part of many families most joyful moments, but have also stood beside families during their darkest times when a baby is lost far too soon. There are no words that can ease the pain of such a loss but what I have learned is that kindness, empathy and understanding are essential to grieving parents and the comfort kits supplied by Bridget's Bunnies allows families to capture precious memories and find support outside of the hospital setting."

Melanie Ollerenshaw – Registered Nurse (Barrie)
"Before I knew about Bridget's Bunnies, I felt like I was missing something when caring for families going through pregnancy or infant loss. Having access to the comfort kits allows me to be confident that I am helping them in the best way possible, in the short time they have with their baby. The comfort kits allow staff to feel comfortable starting conversations, and providing care and memory keeping with the families we serve. I am so grateful we have access to the Comfort Kits in Sudbury, through our partnership program."

Lianne – Registered Nurse and Doula (Sudbury)
“Working with Bridget’s Bunnies has been such a meaningful partnership. Their Comfort Kits and Little Loss Library offer families both gentle support and practical resources during an incredibly difficult time. They approach every initiative with such care and compassion, ensuring no one faces pregnancy or infant loss alone. We’re grateful to collaborate with an organization that makes such a difference for families in our community.”

Natalie Kirby – Midwife (Collingwood)
"Just as important as the kits themselves is the education we receive as staff. Through training on how to compassionately and respectfully care for patients experiencing pregnancy loss, we’re empowered to approach these difficult moments with greater confidence and empathy. It helps ensure that no patient or family feels overlooked or alone in their grief. Together, the comfort kits and staff education have transformed how we care for families during one of the most heartbreaking experiences imaginable. They remind us that even in the most clinical of settings, compassion and human connection must come first. I truly believe every emergency department should have them."

Samantha – Registered Nurse (Barrie)

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