How do you survive the unimaginable loss of a baby during pregnancy or infancy?
From the early days of shock and devastation through the following phases of grief over time, Pascale Vermont, PhD, offers insight and recommendations for bereaved parents, their family and friends, as well as medical providers. Vermont, a clinical psychologist with a specialty in grief counseling, has guided over a hundred couples who have lost a baby during pregnancy by termination or fetal demise, by stillbirth, or by death in the first few weeks or months of life.
Surviving the Unimaginable
is based on a collection of interviews with twenty couples who have made it from sadness and despair to a place of hope. These parents now wish to share what they found most helpful along the way. They are survivors who, through counseling, ultimately discovered how now, with the passage of time, they can give back to grieving parents by reflecting on their journeys and lessons learned.
Vermont has listened closely to these voices of grief, presenting them alongside her practical expertise.
In this book for bereaved parents, family and friends, you will learn:
How to navigate the first few weeks or months.
How to respect different grieving styles and normalize grief reactions.
How to guide family and friends to support the couple.
How to honor their baby through various rituals and examples of legacy.
How to manage anxiety in a subsequent pregnancy.
How to find hope that they can, just like those interviewed, survive.
If you're in the midst of trying to survive the unimaginable, this book is a wonderful resource.