Lina Kaplan, Psy.D. Los Angeles, CA Psychologist Perinatal Loss Since my stillbirth, I hear people say, "It’s probably for the best. Don’t worry, you’ll get pregnant again." They mean well but it makes me so mad. No one gets it. I feel so alone. Shortly after he was born, our baby died. Everyone is concerned about my wife, but he was my baby too. What about my own loss? We lost our baby in the sixth month due to genetic anomaly. I see my husband buries himself in his work. Doesn’t he care? Isn’t he grieving? My oldest child asks me about the baby. I don’t know what to tell her. How do you explain a miscarriage to a five-year old? We were just told that our baby has a genetic abnormality. We don’t know what to do: continue the pregnancy or have a therapeutic abortion? How are we supposed to make a God-like decision? Having a healthy baby is a dream we take for granted. No one plans for or can anticipate losing a longed-for child. Like a tidal wave, the grief can overwhelm your body and spirit, touching on every aspect of your life. If you are grieving perinatal loss, you may be experiencing: waves of unexpected, overwhelming emotion tension in marital and family relationships difficulty being around pregnant women and babies difficulty making critical medical decisions when there is a genetic or congenital anomaly fears and ambivalence about subsequent pregnancies a sense of emptiness and despair difficulty explaining the loss to your older children As a grieving parent you may often feel that others do not understand the magnitude of your loss or comprehend its impact on you and your family life. Like many grieving parents, you may find it difficult to share your feelings with others, including your partner, and you may have a growing sense of emotional and physical isolation. Throughout my 17 years of practice, I have been dedicated to helping women and their partners alleviate the physical symptoms and psychological distress associated with perinatal loss. I am committed to helping you and your partner make it through this overwhelming loss. Additional resources: http://www.nationalshareoffice.com http://www.missfoundation.org/group/found.html#CA http://www.compassionatefriends.org home | background | individuals | couples cultural transitions | infertility | pregnancy loss languages | dance psychology | contact Dr. Lina Kaplan, Psychologist 9911 W Pico Blvd, Ste 507 Los Angeles, California 90035 (310) 277-4305 Contact Me