H.E.A.R.T.strings
Perinatal Bereavement & Palliative Care
NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL
NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL
1) You may find that none of the clinical terms feel "right" or comforting to you. These include "miscarriage” or “stillbirth”. Some parents use words or phrases that are more sensitive or reassuring to them or that they feel better describes what happened to their baby. We have found that giving a simple, direct, and honest explanation is often best for everyone. It's perfectly okay to say, "Our baby died."
2) The intensity of grief is usually associated with when the connection and attachment to the pregnancy and the baby began, not the length of the pregnancy or the type of loss. Parents can be just as devastated if the loss occurred at 5 weeks gestation as if it had occurred at 25 weeks gestation, full-term, or 6 days after delivery.
3) Try not to compare your grief to that of another person. There is no such thing as a "better" kind of loss. They are all heartbreaking and painful.
4) You have a right to grieve. No matter how far along you are or how young or old your baby was. You also have the right to grieve in your own way and in your own time.