Emotions You May Feel:
It’s normal to feel an array of emotions after a pregnancy loss. These emotions can range from but are not limited to: sadness, numbness, shock, depression, anger, disbelief, a sense of failure, and vulnerability.
The first thing to remember during this time is that it’s OK to feel these emotions.
Second, the loss of pregnancy isn’t your fault; complications can happen to any woman.
Some women experience physical symptoms while dealing with their emotional distress. You might experience fatigue, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, and loss of appetite. There are hormonal changes that occur after a miscarriage, and this can intensify these emotions.
Some Things You Can Do:
- Grief and loss are different for everyone, and the time it will take to heal will vary depending on the person. Give yourself time to heal.
- You may need a chance to process what happened and how you feel. Taking time off of work can be a good way to give yourself time to understand your loss.
- Sharing your stories with others can actually help you heal with your loss. It may feel painful to talk about, but people can help you not feel alone in this situation. Not everyone will have the right response to your news because he or she hasn’t been through it, but it’s about not keeping the pain to yourself regardless of how someone responds to the news. Try to not close yourself off from others. You don’t have to tell everyone; you can just share your news to a few close friends.
- Your partner may be coping and reacting in a different way than you are. It’s important to remember that everyone grieves differently. Men, on average, react differently from women when it comes to grief and loss. He may be keeping his feelings inside instead of dealing openly with his loss with others.
Where You Can Get Support:
- Talk to your doctor or midwife about in-person support groups near you.
- You may want to contact a local counselor to talk to about your loss.
- Pregnancy After Loss Support (PALS): This website has online sources and some in-person support groups in several of the 50 states.
- BabyCenter.com has support groups for women who are going through the same type of loss.
