The Emotional Trauma of Perinatal Loss
The experience of family planning, preservation, and treatment comes with a whirlwind of losses on so many levels. The attachment to a future child isn't just a physical thing; it’s emotional, too—long before a pregnancy even begins (Covington, 2006; Jaffe et al., 2011).
Jaffe and Diamond (2011) and Jaffe et al. (2005) reference the “reproductive story”—the idea of having a “mental blueprint” of being a parent before the journey actually happens. These stories encompass picturing all the joys, challenges, and special moments prospective parents may dream of, like reading bedtime stories or pushing a stroller down the street. Jaffe and Diamond (2014) explain that the reproductive story is so deeply woven into the very fabric of a person’s identity that it might only be recognized when it unravels, whether due to infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, termination, or other perinatal trauma (Jaffe & Diamond, 2011; Jaffe et al., 2005).
Perinatal losses are profound and often misunderstood. These losses include miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies (before 20 weeks), stillbirths (after 20 weeks), and the death of a newborn up to 28 days after birth (Moore et al., 2011). Some experts (Covington, 2006; Jaffe & Diamond, 2011) argue that the definition........
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