Having another baby will help people get over the loss
Myth: Having another baby will help people get over the loss
Having another baby after a pregnancy loss does not simply 鈥渉elp people get over鈥 the loss. While a subsequent pregnancy may offer hope and purpose, grief and complex emotions often persist and require tailored support from healthcare professionals (60鈥63).
Research indicates that women embarking on another pregnancy following stillbirth or miscarriage often experience heightened anxiety, depression, and ambivalent emotions. Many report mixed feelings, including joy, guilt, and ongoing grief, and a new pregnancy /baby does not automatically resolve these feelings. Some parents describe greater vigilance and fear during subsequent pregnancies, including fear of another pregnancy loss, with unresolved grief sometimes re-emerging, especially at milestone moments (64,65).
Another pregnancy does not erase feelings of loss or prevent complicated grief, so continuing support and acknowledgment of the loss remain crucial. Support from partners, healthcare providers, and peer groups who have experienced similar losses has been identified as particularly valuable for healing (66,67).
References
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(61) Meaney S, Everard CM, Gallagher S, O鈥橠onoghue K. . Health Expectations. 2017;20(4):555鈥62.
(62) Murphy M, Savage E, O鈥橠onoghue K, Leary JO, Leahy-Warren P. . Women and Birth. 2021;34(5):e475鈥81.
(63) Thomas S, Stephens L, Mills TA, Hughes C, Kerby A, Smith DM, et al. Measures of anxiety, depression and stress in the antenatal and perinatal period following a stillbirth or neonatal death: a multicentre cohort study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2021;21:818.
(64) Blocksidge H, Heazell AEP, Wittkowski A, Smith DM. The sorrow comes when I鈥檓 having moments of joy鈥攅xperiences of parenting a live baby following a previous stillbirth: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. 2024;15:1485278.
(65) Gower S, Luddington J, Khosa D, Thaivalappil A, Papadopoulos A. Subsequent pregnancy after stillbirth: a qualitative narrative analysis of Canadian families鈥 experiences. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2023;23:208.
(66) Koert E, Hartwig TS, Hviid Malling GM, Schmidt L, Nielsen HS. 鈥榊ou鈥檙e never pregnant in the same way again鈥: prior early pregnancy loss influences need for health care and support in subsequent pregnancy. Human Reproduction Open. 2023;2023(3):hoad032.
(67) Koert E, Malling GMH, Sylvest R, Krog MC, Kolte AM, Schmidt L, et al. Recurrent pregnancy loss: couples鈥 perspectives on their need for treatment, support and follow up. Human Reproduction. 2019;34(2):291鈥6.