How to Help Miscarriage Patients Grieve – From a Grief Therapist

Coping with the heartache of experiencing a miscarriage can be incredibly difficult. In learning how to help miscarriage patients grieve, a grief therapist would often recommend five different approaches to compassionately assist clients through the grieving process.

People come to me when they are at their lowest point in their grief because I am a therapist who works in private practice. The reality is that no one can ever truly be ready for the death of a child, and the magnitude of the feelings that can follow such a tragedy can be intensely personal, convoluted, and alienating.

Many of the individuals who seek my help after experiencing a miscarriage do so because they are struggling with the fact that they never got to hold or see their child. This, however, does not make the loss any less significant or overpowering in any way. A vital component of the process of healing is preparing oneself to experience any feelings that may surface during the trip.

In addition, it is essential to be aware that, despite the common perception that sadness is something that occurs after the death of a loved one, there are actually many distinct varieties of grieving. A miscarriage is the climax of a series of smaller losses in addition to the primary loss itself. Experiencing grief after a miscarriage can encompass grieving the expectations that were formed during the pregnancy, the role of the parent to this particular child, the identity of parenthood itself, as well as a person’s own ambitions and dreams.

You do not need to suffer through this tragedy by yourself, and it is the single most crucial thing to keep in mind. Continue reading for some of the guidance I provide to individuals who present themselves to me for treatment following the loss of a pregnancy.

Feel Your Feelings

A miscarriage is a devastating loss to go through. It is possible for it to bring on feelings of melancholy, anxiety, guilt, agitation, impatience, and numbness. According to the findings of a study that was conducted in 2015 and published in The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders, about twenty percent of individuals who had a miscarriage went on to acquire sadness or anxiety, and their symptoms lasted for one to three years after the event.

It’s natural to try to shield yourself from the pain of remembering your miscarriage or stillbirth by preventing yourself or others from expressing their emotions. It is also normal for women who have experienced a miscarriage to experience worry and anxiety around future pregnancies. Your emotions are real, they matter, and you should give yourself permission to feel them. You are free to prioritize your own feelings at this time and are not obligated to care for or manage the feelings of everyone else in the room with you right now.

Give Yourself Permission to Be Looked After

It is essential that you do not force yourself back into a routine during this time, nor do you allow yourself to feel as though you have to bear the weight of your entire existence. This is especially important to remember if you have experienced a miscarriage and your body is still in the healing process. In addition, you can feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster, which is a common symptom of fluctuating hormones and can make the feeling even worse.

Therefore, if you are able to rely on the help of other people, make an effort to accept it despite the fact that it may be difficult. Ask for assistance now if there are people in your immediate environment who are able to assist you with tasks such as cooking, bringing meals, caring for your other children, doing the laundry, or any other duty around the house.

The fewer efforts you have to put into daily duties, the more time and effort you will have available for rest and recuperation.

Adjust Your Life to Consider the Loss

If the parents are willing to do so, I encourage the continuation of the relationship with the deceased child in the counseling practice I run. It does not matter how long you were pregnant; the fact remains that you developed a relationship with your child while you were carrying them.

It is essential to the grieving and healing process to pay tribute to the time your baby spent with you and to incorporate the baby’s life into your narrative. I like to have my clients write letters or make something personal and meaningful that can be regarded as a continuation and honoring of the baby’s existence. This is something that can be considered as a continuation and honoring of the baby’s presence. Having the baby’s memories accompany you on your journey might profoundly affect your capacity to move ahead.

If you have other children, having a conversation with them about how they are feeling about the loss and allowing them to express those feelings will help them process the event and help the family maintain the connection to the new baby that they were all so excited to meet.

Establish Connections with People Who Understand You

The experience of processing traumatic grief, such as that caused by a miscarriage, does not have to be done in isolation. Your emotions merit being validated by the presence of people who can share in the burden of the loss you are experiencing.

Even while it may occur at its own pace, talking about your feelings with others can help lighten the load of an overwhelming loss. In addition, talking to other people about your miscarriage or stillbirth can have the impact of normalizing your experience and assist in relieving some of the stress of carrying the weight of your grief by yourself.

Consult with a Qualified Individual

I am always an advocate of reaching out to a trusted therapist who can assist, guide, and be an ally in one’s path through sorrow. I believe this is the best course of action. If you find that your feelings are taking over, that everything feels like it is too much to handle, or if you find that you are isolating yourself and feeling alone in your experience, it is highly advised that you seek the help of a professional.

If you have a partner, it might be a good moment to talk to them together about how they are coping with their loss and how they feel helpless alongside you.

You can find access to in-person counseling by searching the computerized directory of mental health experts that are maintained by Psychology Today. This database can be searched according to geography, sliding scale pricing, and speciality.

There are a few different possibilities for you to consider when it comes to virtual therapy in the event that you find it challenging to locate someone who is available or who is a good fit for you. Better Help, for example, provides individual online counseling, while Cerebral provides treatment in addition to tools to manage drugs. Both of these services are accessible online. On the other hand, internet treatment has a number of drawbacks, including the fact that sessions are frequently cut short and the possibility of expensive fees.

The Heart of the Matter

You don’t have to bear the burden of grief on your own if you’ve recently experienced a pregnancy loss due to a miscarriage. Because the emotional experience of having a miscarriage is unique to each individual, it is important to process your feelings in a comfortable manner and at your own pace.

Meaningful articles you might like: Miscarriage After A Healthy Pregnancy, 10 Ways To Minimize Your Risk of Miscarriage, The Financial Impact of Miscarriage