Grieving After a Miscarriage, Stillbirth or Abortion

Perhaps one of the most agonizing and complicated of human experiences is the loss of potential life. In our view, all bereavement is complicated, resulting in both a range and depth of reactions. But the loss of potential life as in the case of miscarriage or stillbirth, or put differently, the loss of the dream of new life, is particularly devastating. Parents begin their plans and fantasies for their unborn children long before they’re born. For example, the baby’s room is often freshly painted and arranged before the birth. This “nesting behavior” has both emotional and pragmatic motivations.

In addition, conversations and daydreams about who the baby will look like, what s/he will be and do in life colorfully flow in anticipation of his/her arrival. Also, with constantly improving medical technology, parents have access to detailed information about the growing fetus, enabling them to weigh different factors and possibly even make certain decisions.

As complicated and traumatic as these experiences are, they need to be attended to with empathy and exquisite emotional attunement. At the Center, you will find professional and skillful help for facing life and grieving after a miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Additionally, we often connect individuals with needed adjunctive services such as pre-, peri-, and post-natal support groups if/when treatment would be enhanced by them.

Personal Grief Rituals by Paul M. Martin

Oct 24, 2022 | Articles, Communal Grief, Death of a Parent, Death of a Partner, Death of a Sibling, Grief in the Workplace, Grieving Adults, Grieving After a Miscarriage or Still Birth, Grieving and the Holidays, Grieving Children, Helpful Books, Notes from the Center, Resources, Self Care, Suicide and Overdose, When Someone Dies by Suicide

Personal Grief Rituals presents a new model for how bereaved individuals can create unique expressions of mourning that are tailored to their psychological needs and grounded in memories and emotions specific to the relationship they lost. This book examines cultures...

Metaphors for Mourners

Nov 2, 2018 | Articles, Death of a Parent, Death of a Partner, Death of a Sibling, Grieving Adults, Grieving After a Miscarriage or Still Birth, Grieving Children, Resources, When Someone Dies by Suicide

Grief counseling has a specific character in that it is essentially focused on assisting the griever in recognizing, reacting to, and integrating loss(es). However, while it is distinct in its nature and course, grief counseling often intersects with traditional...