There’s no right or wrong way for a woman to feel after a miscarriage.
Miscarriage support options
For women who are struggling after they miscarry, support is crucial to help them while they grieve. There are a few different types of support for women who experience this unique and difficult type of loss.
Partner
Partners struggle with miscarriage, too, and relationships can change as people grieve or struggle differently after an unexpected loss. Talking to a partner after miscarriage is helpful for a relationship, as well as for the healing process. It may be hard to start the conversation at first, but there are a number of online resources that have specialized advice for this.
Friend or family member
Women often find support among friends or family members, especially ones who have prior experiences with miscarriage because they’ll be the most understanding of the situation.
Provider
Women might not be able to stop thinking about their loss, or they might be experiencing mood disturbances, anxiety, or depressive feelings. In these cases, it can be immensely helpful for them to talk to their provider about these feelings. A provider can provide a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist for further help.
While some women may be hesitant to seek professional help during this period, it’s important to know that it’s completely normal to need or want this kind of support after pregnancy loss.
Online support groups
While it isn’t a good idea to get one’s medical information solely from the internet, a lot of women find emotional support after a miscarriage through online support groups. It’s an easy way to find and connect with like-minded people who may be able to relate to how a woman is feeling after this experience.
Offline, in-person support groups
Other women prefer to find in-person miscarriage support groups. These groups encourage women to share their experiences with miscarriage, and they help women connect with each other in spite of their pain. Hospitals and healthcare providers can usually refer women to these kinds of groups.
The experience of a miscarriage varies widely among women. One factor that doesn’t vary, though, is the necessity of support throughout a miscarriage. No matter how early or late a woman is in her pregnancy, and no matter how the miscarriage happens or what kind of emotional impact it has on a woman, it’s important for women to feel supported – both medically and emotionally – during and after this experience.
Sources
- Elizabeth Leis-Newman. “Miscarriage and loss.” APA. American Psychological Association, Jun 2017. Web.
- “Questions about Grief.” NationalShare. Share: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, n.d. Web.
- Anette Kersting, MD. “Complicated grief after perinatal loss.” Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 14(2): 187–194. Web. Jun 2012.
