Sad news... what to tell dcs?

[Sops]

Yesterday we had some very sad news.
My 39.5 weeks pregnant SIL went to hosp feeling unwell, had a scan and the baby has died.
Obviously, it's absolutely tragic and I can't begin to imagine how devastated they must feel particularly as they have been trying for a baby for 7 years.
I am wondering now though what I should tell my dd (6) and ds (4). They don't know that anything has happened yet as the phone call came last night just after they'd gone to bed.
We don't see them thta often as they don't live nearby but I guess children do need to know because sooner or later they are going to ask where is this new baby cousin they've been looking forward to meeting.
I really don't know how to explain it in a way that a child can digest.
It doesn't help that we are atheists either and although I would happily make up anything to help them through this I may have burnt my bridges earlier by telling them that I don't believe in god so not sure I could fool them now.
I think they need to know something about it- what happens the next time they see their auntie and maybe ask her what happened?
How can I tell them about it without crying myself, and frightening them to bits?

I am so sorry for you all.

What do your DCs already know about death? This might be a start point, as you can start with something you know they understand.

An explanation might include something about when people's bodies stop working, they die (add here any relevant religious beliefs about what happens next). Usually this happens only when people are very old, but it can happen before then if someone becomes very poorly, or in tiny babies when they don't grow properly. It's very very sad. [And add for reassurance that there's no reason to think it would happen to them as they've grown normally].

Hope this helps - I went about it with my surviving DCs from a very young age to explain what had happened to DS1, but they were younger than your DCs. There might be other posters with better suggestions for their age.

I had to do this with DD (though my niece died 2 yrs before dd was born) because my niece is mentioned in the family.

The truth is important, and acknowledgment is important to your poor SIL.

Having said that, gentle truth, how sad it is, sometimes babies just aren't well enough to be born - someone will come along with more experience.

I am so sorry for your whole families loss.

Georgie would be 14 now

so sad - this happened recently in our family.
as your dcs are quite young i think too much info may be a bit scary for them.
you could say the baby went straight to heaven up in the stars - this is what was said to the sibling in our family at the time who was a similar age to your dcs and seemed to be accepted.

just re read post and saw atheist part - sorry but maybe just with the stars in the sky then.

Oh God sops how truly awful for her. I'm not sure what to suggest as heaven may have been ruled out for you and your DCs, but if you're okay with it, then I would use something like heaven for the baby to have gone to. They will ask questions, and they will repeat answers when they see their aunty, so it's important that what you tell them is also digestible to your SIL.

I'm 40+2 weeks and so feel your and your SIL's pain intensely. Many, many hugs to you all.

Was she on MN by the way?

Thanks everyone for your sympathies, and so sorry for your losses too.
Ominolap, they know a little about death, my G'ma was very poorly recently (although thankfully recovered completely)so I tried to prepare them for that possibility but it was all about when people get old and their bodies are worn out.
I've had a bit of a chat tonight with them. We were reading King Arthur and he dies at the end so it naturally lead to some conversation on the topic. The first comment was that people don't die in this country, or at least not nowadays- which I think is a common kind of thing for kids to say. I explained that they do and nearly always when they are ever so old but just occasionally younger people die too. Sometimes people's bodies stop working properly and they die. Nearly always doctors can fix it when people's bodies need it but once in a while they can't.
I left it at that for now, hopefully that's laid the groundwork for the harder part.
I think with the stars in the sky is a lovely idea if they ask where the baby is now.