Pregnancy After Child Loss

The little sister’s footsteps bring joy … and tears.
Matt and Myra, parents of Havi and Kaia, talk about how they are experiencing “grief through Kaia’s existence” and learning to allow themselves to experience the full range of emotion that comes with each milestone moment where they feel joy and are simultaneously reminded of their loss
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The little sister’s footsteps bring joy … and tears.

IVF: Because the diagnosis is so rare we had to fight for insurance coverage.

His Name: We wanted something involving Quinlan, but we want August to be his own person too.

I'm learning more and more that there's not grief and, it doesn't have to be one over the other.

Loss, Adoption and Twins.

Knowing their brother: We’ll certainly explain everything about Keenan someday.

There were triggers: here we are again in the NICU, day in and day out.

Archived Recording of CPN's In the Room: Pregnancy after Child Loss

When it's a spontaneous mutation: I don't really find any comfort in those odds.

For my second pregnancy, “I just wanted a clean slate. I chose my very local OB-GYN.”

Measuring time: a progressing pregnancy juxtaposed with the first year of grief

‘As long as the new baby is healthy.’ That statement diminishes my son Andy’s life.

“I live everyday with the memories of what happened to my son, and it will never be apart from me.”

It's important to discuss your uncertainty at the prospect of bringing another child into the world.

The hospital where I had my second daughter was the same hospital where Emerson died

“I would go to appointments and I really wanted them to acknowledge that my first daughter had died.”

The baby, and doing things again, highlights the missing piece.

For others, talking about Emerson's life was now okay because there was a happy ending.

“Do you want to have more kids?”

Death of the only child: We went from being parents to just not being parents.

We waited a few months, and decided we wanted to try to have another child.

Pregnancy and bonding after child loss: I feel comforted that I have this little guy in my belly

Talking to the boys about their oldest brother: It's hard for me that there is no overlap

Giving away some of Andy’s things and moving back into his room for his little brother.

Pregnancy after child loss: It is a concern of mine that it’s going to happen again.

Grieving while pregnant: As complicated as the emotions are, we have something to look forward to
