Myth: Having another baby will help people get over the loss

Having another baby after a pregnancy loss does not simply “help people get over” the loss. While a subsequent pregnancy may offer hope and purpose, grief and complex emotions often persist and require tailored support from healthcare professionals (60–63).

Research indicates that women embarking on another pregnancy following stillbirth or miscarriage often experience heightened anxiety, depression, and ambivalent emotions. Many report mixed feelings, including joy, guilt, and ongoing grief, and a new pregnancy /baby does not automatically resolve these feelings. Some parents describe greater vigilance and fear during subsequent pregnancies, including fear of another pregnancy loss, with unresolved grief sometimes re-emerging, especially at milestone moments (64,65).

Another pregnancy does not erase feelings of loss or prevent complicated grief, so continuing support and acknowledgment of the loss remain crucial. Support from partners, healthcare providers, and peer groups who have experienced similar losses has been identified as particularly valuable for healing (66,67).

References

(60) Campbell-Jackson L, Bezance J, Horsch A. “A renewed sense of purpose”: Mothers’ and fathers’ experience of having a child following a recent stillbirth. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2014;14:423.

(61) Meaney S, Everard CM, Gallagher S, O’Donoghue K. Parents’ concerns about future pregnancy after stillbirth: a qualitative study. Health Expectations. 2017;20(4):555–62.

(62) Murphy M, Savage E, O’Donoghue K, Leary JO, Leahy-Warren P. Trying to conceive: An interpretive phenomenological analysis of couples’ experiences of pregnancy after stillbirth. Women and Birth. 2021;34(5):e475–81.

(63) Thomas S, Stephens L, Mills TA, Hughes C, Kerby A, Smith DM, et al. Measures of anxiety, depression and stress in the antenatal and perinatal period following a stillbirth or neonatal death: a multicentre cohort study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2021;21:818.

(64) Blocksidge H, Heazell AEP, Wittkowski A, Smith DM. The sorrow comes when I’m having moments of joy—experiences of parenting a live baby following a previous stillbirth: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. 2024;15:1485278.

(65) Gower S, Luddington J, Khosa D, Thaivalappil A, Papadopoulos A. Subsequent pregnancy after stillbirth: a qualitative narrative analysis of Canadian families’ experiences. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2023;23:208.

(66) Koert E, Hartwig TS, Hviid Malling GM, Schmidt L, Nielsen HS. ‘You’re never pregnant in the same way again’: prior early pregnancy loss influences need for health care and support in subsequent pregnancy. Human Reproduction Open. 2023;2023(3):hoad032.

(67) Koert E, Malling GMH, Sylvest R, Krog MC, Kolte AM, Schmidt L, et al. Recurrent pregnancy loss: couples’ perspectives on their need for treatment, support and follow up. Human Reproduction. 2019;34(2):291–6.