What is Shame? Shame and guilt often walk hand in hand. The difference is that shame can bury itself far deeper, and is much more poisonous. Where guilt is a feeling about something we have done, shame is the conclusion we come to about ourselves as a result of that act. Guilt is the feeling [...]

Men Dealing With Miscarriage

January 27, 2012

With advances in prenatal care, especially ultrasound imaging, loss of pregnancy has become more meaningful at an earlier stage for fathers as well as mothers. In many cases, the grieving USA: National Institute Mental Health. process can be different for men and women. Traumatic events like pregnancy loss can put extreme pressure on our primary [...]

Survivor guilt is the feeling of guilt we get when we have survived something that someone else hasn’t. Generally, we think of survivor guilt relating to a major disaster such as an earthquake or plane crash, but survivor guilt is not exclusive to this type of tragedy. Survivor guilt can be experienced within the realm [...]

Guilt, quite simply, is unresolved anger that we have turned inward against ourselves. It is usually related to something that we have or haven’t done. Guilt can also feel like shame and denial and leaves us restricted mentally, emotionally and often physically. Guilt can also lead us to bury our fears and secret beliefs about [...]

Grief After Miscarriage

January 6, 2012

Although there are several different models of grief, the most commonly accepted version has five stages. These five stages look different on all of us, but there are always five – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.[1] After a loss, not everyone goes through the stages of grief in the same way. We can’t be [...]

Dealing With Miscarriage – Finding Support and Comfort

December 30, 2011

Because pregnancy loss is not always seen as a ‘legitimate’ loss, parents often receive little or no assistance, especially in isolated areas where support services are not readily available. As human beings moving through a grieving process, we naturally look for the care and attention of others. We crave contact with people who can accept [...]

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Disenfranchised Grief

December 23, 2011

Some women are uncomfortable about grieving for an early pregnancy loss because they have only known about the baby for a few days or weeks and have often never seen it. These feelings are often supported by comments like “at least you weren’t very far along” and “you’re lucky you didn’t have a chance to [...]

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Ambiguous Loss

December 16, 2011

With pregnancy loss, unlike other deaths, it can be hard for a family member or friend to understand what exactly has been lost. Confusion over what has been lost is often referred to as ‘ambiguous loss’, which simply means that it is a loss that people are unsure of, it is hidden, secret or perhaps [...]

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Dealing With Miscarriage – Telling Children

December 9, 2011

As well as feeling our own pain when a loved one dies, we may need to help our other children manage the pain and bewilderment of the loss of a potential brother or sister. It is tempting to try to shield them from the pain of loss by excluding them from the experience, but while [...]

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Dealing With Miscarriage – Telling Friends

December 2, 2011

With any pregnancy loss even the closest of friends can struggle to know what to say and know whether to bring up what has happened or not. Because of their lack of understanding, we are often forced to listen to well-meaning (but unwanted) advice and encouragement like: “At least it was early before you got [...]

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