Infant Loss and Grief
Perinatal and Postnatal Loss
If you’ve lost your baby/pregnancy, who can you talk to?
There is not a more painful loss than the loss of a child.
No matter how old your child is, losing that child can leave lifelong grief that others cannot understand.
What is Perinatal Grief/Loss?
Perinatal grief is an emotion that people experience after the loss of an unborn baby/fetus.
The loss of the baby can happen spontaneously (miscarriage) or intentionally (abortion). Either way, it brings a lot of different types of emotions, such as depression, anxiety, feelings of guilt, and shame.
If you have lost your baby, you most certainly are going through grief. Kubler-Ross identified five stages of the normal reaction to loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Mind you that people may experience all or some of the stages in this or any other order.
Although all losses need time for grief – a time for you to reassess where you are and what you will do from now on, a loss of a baby/fetus can lead to some feelings of grief that last for a long time.
“Normal” grief will go away after one year or so. If you have lost your baby/fetus and are still suffering from it, you might be suffering from perinatal grief and want to talk to a therapist to help you deal with it.
What is Neonatal (Stillbirth) Grief/Loss?
Neonatal grief is an emotion that people experience after a loss of a full-term baby (at birth or up to 28 days after delivery).
What is Infant Grief/Loss?
Infant grief is an emotion that people experience after the loss of an infant (older than 29 days).
Signs and symptoms of Perinatal/Neonatal/Infant grief
Normal grief might bring you distress, sorrow, heartache, pain, suffering, or will make you be preoccupied, easily tearful, feel helpless, or vulnerable. You may find yourself staring into space, being slow to respond or think, or even have lowered self-esteem. Although those are typical symptoms of grief, some people find support from psychologists when going through loss.
However, perinatal/neonatal / infant grief is much more intense for some people because they may feel guilt or shame or partially deny the death. These people may not show any distress, or too much grief, may fall into chronic depression, bitterness, avoid any cues/triggers to the loss or isolate themselves. These people may have their immune systems decreased or may increase alcohol, pills, or drugs. In any of these cases, it is necessary to have a psychotherapist to help you go through your grief and help you process the emotional pain, which may be connected to hurts of the past and uncertainties of the future.
Causes of perinatal/neonatal/infant grief
Grief is an emotion felt after the loss of someone important to you. This grief might resolve itself within a year or persist for a long time.
We at Tampa Therapy Group work with people going through baby loss (or loss of hope) due to fertility issues, miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth/perinatal death, or early/neonatal/infant death.
How we treat perinatal/neonatal/infant grief
We at Tampa Therapy Group often use an integrative approach to treat people with grief/loss issues.
We use techniques from:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
- Mindfulness
- ACT
- EFT
We provide a non-judgmental environment where patients can find support and candidness to open their most inner feelings and thoughts.
Typical outcomes of perinatal/neonatal/infant grief treatment
After completing treatment, patients can expect to move to a healthier level of functioning. People who have completed treatment with us at Tampa Therapy Group report higher levels of well-being. Although, losing a fetus/baby/infant/child may leave a long-lasting imprint in your soul.
Consult with a psychotherapist to get help with your perinatal/neonatal/infant grief/loss issues right away. Dr. Rosana Marzullo-Dove and her group use many techniques to treat individuals and couples who are suffering from perinatal/neonatal / infant grief and loss.
Call (813) 613-8587 now for a FREE 15-minute phone consultation.
Coaching Program For Perinatal Loss
For women who want to move forward and live a complete and fulfilled life.
A six-week online program to help you understand, process, and heal from your experience.
Contact (813) 613-8587 or email [email protected] for more information.
