Perinatal loss is often sudden and unexpected and a traumatic life event for parents. There is no right way to grieve the loss and everyone processing this loss will have different needs and coping.
It can be very difficult to make sense of loss. But it is important to know that no two losses are the same.
Perinatal loss can be defined in different ways depending on when in the perinatal period the loss happens. It could be loss through:
- Early miscarriage
- Late miscarriage
- Still birth
- Termination of pregnancy
- Termination of pregnancy for medical reasons
- Death of baby in early infancy
- Failed fertility treatment
- Loss by removal of baby to social care
Often, those who have experienced perinatal loss do not share their experiences and/or others fail to recognise the impact of perinatal loss will have on a person or family. It is important that people who have experienced perinatal loss are met with compassion and encouraged to also offer themselves compassion and not criticism or blame.
Most people who experience perinatal loss are slowly able to continue with their lives and find ways of managing and living with the grief. However, for some grief continues to impact day to day life and they may need more to help them recovery.
Silver Birch Hubs (Cheshire and Mersey Maternal Mental Health Service) have support and interventions for support women and birthing people in the region experiencing distress from Loss which is affecting their day to day functioning
