FOR BEREAVED PARENTS
You are most likely on this page because you've experienced the loss of a baby. For this, we are so sorry.
We understand that the death of a baby brings profound sorrow, the depth of which many people don't fully comprehend. Throughout pregnancy, mothers are primed to nurture and protect their babies. A relationship has been formed. A future has been imagined. A woman’s identity has been changed. When a baby dies, mums can feel heartbroken, lost, empty, and isolated. Bereaved mums commonly want to hide away from the world. They can feel that healing is impossible and that no one really understands what they are going through. It can be excruciating for bereaved mums to see other pregnant women and their babies.
Expectant dads grieve too. Their grief may be different. However they too have lost their child, an imagined future, a new role, a readiness for the next stage of life. Dads often feel the emotional weight of looking after their partners in their grieving. Dads can worry about their partners' ongoing mental health, and can struggle with their grief being overlooked in light of the grieving mother. In some cases Dads experience a delayed grief response.
Following the loss of a child, both parents may anticipate their baby's future milestones with trepidation. There can be mixed feelings after loss. After the initial shock, numbness, and disbelief, there can be guilt, anger, sadness, and fear.
There is no right way to grieve. People grieve in different ways. People's pathways towards integrating their loss into their ongoing lives differ from one person to the next.
For further information on perinatal loss and grief, see our Information page.
To find a therapist to support you through your grief, see our Therapist Register. Here you will find therapists who have been trained in perinatal loss, who practice in different states in Australia.
We understand that the death of a baby brings profound sorrow, the depth of which many people don't fully comprehend. Throughout pregnancy, mothers are primed to nurture and protect their babies. A relationship has been formed. A future has been imagined. A woman’s identity has been changed. When a baby dies, mums can feel heartbroken, lost, empty, and isolated. Bereaved mums commonly want to hide away from the world. They can feel that healing is impossible and that no one really understands what they are going through. It can be excruciating for bereaved mums to see other pregnant women and their babies.
Expectant dads grieve too. Their grief may be different. However they too have lost their child, an imagined future, a new role, a readiness for the next stage of life. Dads often feel the emotional weight of looking after their partners in their grieving. Dads can worry about their partners' ongoing mental health, and can struggle with their grief being overlooked in light of the grieving mother. In some cases Dads experience a delayed grief response.
Following the loss of a child, both parents may anticipate their baby's future milestones with trepidation. There can be mixed feelings after loss. After the initial shock, numbness, and disbelief, there can be guilt, anger, sadness, and fear.
There is no right way to grieve. People grieve in different ways. People's pathways towards integrating their loss into their ongoing lives differ from one person to the next.
For further information on perinatal loss and grief, see our Information page.
To find a therapist to support you through your grief, see our Therapist Register. Here you will find therapists who have been trained in perinatal loss, who practice in different states in Australia.
