If your last pregnancy ended in a loss, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed with anxiety at every single milestone you reach during your current pregnancy. The fact that miscarriages are a common occurrence isn't likely to lessen the impact of what happened before. Nor will having other healthy children at home -- though people might assume that this can help diminish your grief.
If you've experienced an early miscarriage (the most common type), during your next pregnancy you might be worried until you've reached the point at which things went wrong the last time. Or if you lost a baby later in pregnancy or endured multiple miscarriages, you might never feel completely relaxed during this pregnancy.
It's only natural to rein in your excitement about having another baby after you've suffered a loss. You might do this in order to protect yourself, hoping to lessen your grief if you miscarry again. Your normal urge to assert a degree of control over a risky situation frequently fuels another common desire: to do things very differently during this pregnancy. Some typical behaviors include:
If you've miscarried before, you'll need extra support from family, friends, and health-care providers this time. Your husband might need additional attention too, if he's been experiencing powerful and troubling feelings. Sometimes it's more difficult for men to know where to turn for help and how to ask for it. Here are some good sources of support:
You may wonder whether you ever could -- or should -- love your newborn the way you love the baby or babies you lost. You may feel conflicted, but allow yourself to feel love for the new child. Loving the new baby does not replace the love for the child who was lost. There will always be a special love in your heart for the baby that could have been.
Looking to get pregnant again after a miscarriage? Learn what to expect and when you can start trying again.
All content here, including advice from doctors and other health professionals, should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.
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