Aimee Karas, MS, CCLS, CEIM

In her role as a certified child life specialist in the Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment (CFDT), Special Delivery Unit (SDU), and Neonatal/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU), Aimee Karas, MS, CCLS, CEIM, collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to help support families during their outpatient prenatal visits, admission on the SDU, and during their time in the N/IICU.

For families staying on the SDU, Aimee offers therapeutic activities for coping and distraction, as well as opportunities for families to stay connected during times of physical separation.

In the N/IICU, Aimee supports family bonding during the hospital admission and enriches the infant's environment to encourage continued development within the hospital setting. She also offers support and age appropriate education for siblings throughout the birth and/or hospitalization of their new sibling, and the transition of bringing baby home.

Aimee provides emotional support for families who are experiencing perinatal palliative and bereavement care within the CFDT and SDU. She meets with families to explore their wishes surrounding creating keepsakes and memory-making activities with their infant and older children. She serves as a resource to assist families in understanding the ways in which children cope with grief and loss based on their development and how best to support them prior to and following the death of a sibling.