Pregnancy Loss: Subtypes, and Solutions for Families
Posted by Improving Lives Counseling Services, Inc. | Parenting
For women, their spouses and partners, and immediate and extended family, the loss of a pregnancy due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or other complications, as well as the loss of an infant to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), can have profound physical and psychological effects. Pregnancy alone can evoke a wide range of psychological responses, both positive and negative.
In the midst of political discourse, discussions often overlook the short and long-term mental health effects of pregnancy and infant loss at any stage. The therapists, counselors, and clinicians at Improving Lives Counseling Services address these mental health impacts through individual, couples, family, and group sessions.
PREGNANCY LOSS
Pregnancy, whether planned or unplanned, can create hormonal changes that lead to emotional fluctuations, resulting in mood swings, anxiety, and stress for many. Concerns about body image can affect self-esteem, while shifts in relationships and identity may lead to tension and misunderstandings. Pregnancy signifies a major life change, which can trigger symptoms of depression in some individuals.
Miscarriage
“The Mayo Clinic defines miscarriage as the sudden loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week. Although many miscarriages happen before people realize they’re pregnant, statistics show 10%-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage.” Whether the pregnancy was planned or unplanned, miscarriage can have significant emotional, psychological, and physical effects on individuals and couples. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggest anyone experiencing a miscarriage, or irregular feminine issues with a known or unknown possibility of pregnancy, and miscarriage seek immediate medical care.
Whether planned or unplanned, miscarriage is a loss similar to mourning a loved one. Emotional and psychological effects can occur immediately or may emerge days, weeks, months, or even years later. Deep sadness, guilt, self-blame, and anxiety can lead to strained relationships, isolation, hopelessness, and symptoms of trauma or PTSD. The fear of notifying family, telling friends and co-workers, and the anxiety of experiencing another loss is very real. Potential parents, guardians, or caregivers may have to return early purchases, dismantle a prepared nursery, or cancel planned celebrations.
Even a miscarriage resulting from an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy can trigger physical pain and emotional grief. Women often experience this grief in isolation, unsure of whom to turn to or what to say — especially if the pregnancy was kept secret. Therapy can be crucial in navigating the aftermath of a miscarriage.
Stillbirth
Stillbirth is one of the most devastating of losses, affecting over 25,000 families each year. A miscarriage is defined as the loss of a fetus “before” the 20th week of pregnancy. A stillbirth is when a fetus dies in the uterus “after” 20 weeks of pregnancy. Stillbirth is further classified as early, late, or term:
- Early is the loss of a fetus between 20 and 27 weeks of pregnancy.
- Late is the loss of a fetus between 28 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
- Term is the loss of a fetus at 37 or more weeks of pregnancy.
Risk factors for stillbirth include women over 35 or under 20, those diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension, women who are overweight, and those who smoke or drink. Pregnancies involving multiples and a lack of prenatal care also increase the risk. While statistics show that stillbirth occurs more frequently among non-Hispanic women of color, this is not due to biological differences but rather to structural racism and discrimination. Mirjana Najceva of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) defines this as:
“Structural discrimination refers to rules, norms, routines, patterns of attitudes and behavior in institutions and other societal structures that represent obstacles to groups or individuals in achieving the same rights and opportunities that are available to the majority of the population.”
Stillbirth occurs due to complications during pregnancy or issues related to the woman’s health. While most stillbirths happen before labor, they can also occur during labor or delivery. In most states, healthcare providers diagnose the loss beforehand and take steps to intervene well before the due date. Because stillbirth occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy, it can be particularly traumatizing. Furthermore, the law requires that any baby born after 24 weeks be either buried or cremated. It is up to the parents to decide whether to have a formal service or funeral.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden, unexplained death of an otherwise healthy infant, usually during sleep. It typically affects babies between 1 month and 1 year of age, with most cases occurring between 2 and 4 months. The exact cause of SIDS is unknown; however, the medical community believes “it may be related to problems in the area of an infant’s brain that controls breathing and waking up from sleep.
Physical factors associated with SIDS include, but are not limited to, brain defects, respiratory infection, and low birth weight. Sleep-related factors include sleeping position, sleeping on a soft surface, overheating while sleeping, or sharing a bed with a parent or sibling. Researchers have identified risk factors for SIDS include young mothers who smoke or use drugs, age of the infant, race, family history, and premature or early birth. SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) can have profound impacts on the mental health of parents and caregivers.
“After the joy of the birth of their child, the family is confronted with the loss of light, as in an “eclipse” where a celestial body obscures the source of light, leaving the observer in an inevitable cone of shadow. The unexpected and unexplained loss of a baby is a particularly destabilizing event for the family.” ……. National Library of Science.
The unexpected loss of a child can lead to grief, anxiety, fear, PTSD, isolation, loneliness, and symptoms of depression. Instances of SIDS and other unexplained deaths in infants during sleep are often unwitnessed, with only one documented account of an eight-month-old boy who experienced seizures and respiratory distress; the autopsy did not reveal a primary cause of death.
SIDS occurs suddenly, remains unexplained, and is followed by exhausting medico-legal procedures for parents. Legal cases relating to criminal charges around SIDS often involve issues of liability, negligence, and the circumstances surrounding an infant’s death, such as failing to follow safe sleep practices. In rare instances, parents, guardians, and caregivers have faced charges and prison sentences. “The stress and trauma of enduring such charges in the wake of an unpreventable loss can be devastating.”
Support from mental health professionals, counseling, support groups, and open communication with loved ones can be crucial for mental health after a SIDS loss. It’s important for grieving parents to seek help and know they are not alone in their experiences.
SUMMARY
Each of these distressing life events can be extremely stressful. Women may refuse to discuss their experience, often saying they’re “not ready to talk about it.” The subsequent grief is multifaceted and can impact spouses, intimate partners, immediate and extended family, coworkers, and friends. The person who is mourning, be it a woman, parent, guardian, or caregiver, requires immediate mental health support. Women who have been trying to conceive for years may feel just as much pain as a teenager experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. There is no simple “just get over it,” as even for a young girl who didn’t know she was pregnant, the emotional pain can linger. However, this pain can be worked through with time and support.
Improving Lives Counseling Services features a diverse team of licensed professional counselors, therapists, and clinicians who provide optimal care for the emotional and psychological effects of loss due to miscarriage, stillbirth, and SIDS. Since each client and family member mourns these losses in different ways, treatment plans are tailored to meet the specific needs of each client and family. There is life after the loss of a pregnancy or infant. We offer individual, couples, family, and group, in-person, and online sessions. Top of FormBottom of Form
