Losing a child is devastating. It doesn’t matter if that child was growing inside of you or your partner, or was lost after birth. It is heartbreaking, emotionally-jarring, and traumatic.
Pregnancy and infant loss whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or other complications are more common than one might think. One in four women will experience this tragic and painful loss. Model and Actress Chrissy Teigen recently shared her experience with pregnancy loss.
When this happens you may feel as if you can’t go on. You may be fearful of the future. You may feel alone and lost. You might feel like you are at fault—wondering what happened to cause this tragedy. All of these feelings are ok and perfectly normal, which is why it is so important that you take care of yourself.
Those who experience pregnancy or infant loss often feel uncomfortable talking about it. They need emotional support more than ever yet these conversations often feel taboo. That is why awareness and days of remembrance are so very important. When we don't share these experiences with others, people tend to believe they are rare but they are not. Your friend or your mother could have gone through the same experience and never talked about it. It is so important to the healing process to find a support system. Find someone you can talk to about all your emotions and struggles surrounding your loss. This could be a friend, family member, or mental health professional. At CW Psychological Services our counselors are trained in perinatal loss and can offer a comforting ear, words of support, and tools to help you cope moving forward.
It is also beneficial to the healing process to find hope for the future. When you experience pregnancy or infant loss, feeling hopeful might seem like the furthest thing from your mind. You are probably feeling everything but hope. You might be thinking that it will be impossible to have a healthy baby in the future. But the truth is, you will heal. These feelings, while they will likely stay with you in some ways forever, will subside. You will find the strength to move forward in whatever capacity that may look like for you. Hope can be a powerful ingredient to true healing.
Life does get better. We are here for you.
Learn more about Coping with Pregnancy and Infant Loss:
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