Early Bereavement
Grief: “Have grace with your spouse.”
Parents Nate and Katherine talk so tenderly about coming to understand how they differ in their grief response and supported each other. “We were trying to be gracious with each other and let the other grieve the way they needed to. That’s tricky.” They worked with a grief counselor in the prenatal period and continued after. Nate describes how complex it was and how he lacked the skills. “It was a tricky time.”
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Grief: “Have grace with your spouse.”
“I really believe my son has an eternal soul.”
Bereavement: Outside people are afraid of feeling bad. “The ideal response is to lean in and recognize the grief and anguish.”
The little sister’s footsteps bring joy … and tears.
Extended Family: Grieving together but focusing on Havi’s parents.
Bereavement: Leaving the pod
No regrets but some wishes.
Writing as healing, during her life and in bereavement: “It forced us to be with our Grief … And now it’s a portal to her.”
A social worker on how parents grieve - Every person grieves their own way. They need to feel heard.
A social worker on early bereavement: Safety is something we always consider in bereaved parents.
A social worker: When parents ask ‘How do parents do this?’ I talk about the trajectory of grief.
A palliative care social worker on if the child dies when the parent is out of the room.
A bereaved mom: It was important to me to stay in contact with some of Jack’s providers.
Processing the grief: I needed a narrative. It was helpful to go through the medical records, make sense of what had happened.
Grief in Bereavement! A big empty hole.
Leaving the hospital after he died: It was unbearable.
Parents worry about the impact of child death on the staff
Parenting a Medically Complex Child and Bereavement: A mother's wisdom
I think the hardest part is after she's gone.
Time passing is really hard.
The biggest transition is people not coming into the house everyday.
The funeral began the healing.