Never a simple journey: pregnancy following perinatal loss

Abstract

More than half of families who experience the death of an infant, either pre-birth or shortly after, go on to have another pregnancy. But the psychological impact of the previous loss may not be acknowledged by family members, friends and care-givers. Parents may experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder; they may fail to attach to the new child. This article outlines the fears commonly reported by parents who have a second pregnancy after loss, and their struggles to come to terms with the coming birth of the new baby in the shadow of the death of its sibling. It goes on to describe the pregnancy after loss (PAL) group set up by the author and a colleague that uses family education methods to help these parents acknowledge and overcome their fears and build healthy bonds with their new baby.

Keywords:

• Pregnancy
• infant death
• sibling
• attachment
• family education