A mother-to-be notices that her unborn baby has stopped moving. Alarmed, she checks into a hospital. Or maybe a fetal monitor indicates no heartbeat in an unborn infant.

It's hard to imagine any news more devastating, but it can all end with a baby born dead or a baby dying shortly after birth. Such a happening is a tragic fact of the human condition, and most of us know someone who's gone through it. To deal with such eventualities, Natividad Medical Center, where 200 babies are born monthly, has put in place its Perinatal Bereavement Program.

The program - which started in February at the Salinas hospital - begins in labor and delivery. There, doctors and nurses talk to a woman whose baby has died and to her family, acknowledging the loss.

Things proceed with a gently choreographed build-up of support. "We individualize their care," said Judy Rasmussen, director of perinatal services. It's a team approach. It brings in nurses, doctors, social workers, pastors and priests. Support is emotional and spiritual. Reality also calls for it to be practical. The mother has birthed a baby. Now the mother must bury the baby, Rasmussen said.

A social worker can help make arrangements. A grant from Salinas-area churches helps lower-income families cover the costs. If requested, the staff creates a "memory box." In it, they put clothing, photos and the tiny footprints and handprints. Parents may name their baby, too.

Baby deaths follow no set pattern of frequency, but since February, the hospital has seen 14 fetal or neonatal losses, Rasmussen said. Natividad is now looking at expanding its bereavement program into its pediatrics unit.