There is no foot too small it cannot leave an imprint on this world
Stillbirth
Losing a baby at any point during pregnancy can be a physically and emotionally devastating experience. If you delivered a stillborn baby or lost your baby shortly after birth and are looking for a safe space to grieve, to heal, and to remember your child, we would be honored to hold your grief with you.
A stillbirth is when a baby dies in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy. If you experienced a stillbirth or are preparing for a stillbirth delivery, we are so sorry that this is happening to you and our hearts are with you and your baby.
There is no "right way" to feel and no time limit on grief. Some feelings you may experience include:
shock; you can’t believe what happened
numb; unable to feel anything
sad and depressed; perhaps sudden bouts of crying
angry at your own body, your doctor, your partner, etc.
guilty: feeling that somehow you have brought still birth on
replaying events in your head searching for a different outcome
anxious or afraid that it will happen again
yearning and aching for your baby
envious of other pregnant women
overwhelmed with your grief
You may feel like your entire world has fallen apart. There are few experiences more heartbreaking and devastating than leaving the hospital without the child you dreamed of bringing home.
Therapy can Help
Provide space for your grief - which encompasses all the feelings surrounding your loss (anger, sadness, rage, numbness, shock, denial)
Plan for your delivery so you can be with your baby and perform any ceremonies that will be meaningful for you and your family
Process your feelings if you were not able to be with your baby after delivery in the way you would have liked
Process any trauma related to your pregnancy and delivery
Plan for situations that may feel overwhelming like coming home from the hospital, entering your baby's room, dealing with questions, and handling your baby's things
Learn mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques to cope with overwhelming feelings
Practice radical acceptance when you are ready
Explore ways to honor your baby in your everyday life
Move toward healing in a supportive, judgment-free, safe environment
Infant Loss
When your newborn dies, your hopes and dreams are shattered. The life you had planned included this amazing little person who is now gone. You must deal not only with your loss but the loss you feel for the life this beautiful creature will never get to experience.
We are sorry that you lost your baby.
You didn't deserve this. Your baby didn't deserve this.
Our hearts are with you.
Now you are faced with the process of grieving and trying to move forward with a piece of yourself missing.
There is no "right way" to feel and no time limit on grief.
Some feelings you may experience include:
shock; you can’t believe what happened
numb; unable to feel anything
sad and depressed; perhaps sudden bouts of crying
angry at your own body, your doctor, your partner, etc.
guilty: feeling that somehow you have brought still birth on
replaying events in your head searching for a different outcome
anxious or afraid that it will happen again
yearning and aching for your baby
envious of other pregnant women
overwhelmed with your grief
Therapy can Help
Provide space for your grief - which encompasses all the feelings surrounding your loss (anger, sadness, rage, numbness, shock, denial)
Plan and prepare for difficult and distressing events (your baby's birthday, handling your baby's things, deciding to get pregnant again)
Improve communication with your partner to reduce feelings of isolation
Process any trauma related to your pregnancy and delivery
Process any trauma related to your baby's death
Learn mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques to cope with overwhelming feelings
Practice radical acceptance when you are ready
Explore ways to honor your baby in your everyday life
Move toward healing in a supportive, judgment-free, safe environment
Although you may heal with time, research shows that early psychological intervention can effectively decrease emotional distress, depression and anxiety in the first year after a stillbirth or neonatal loss.
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