Neonatal Loss
What is a neonatal loss?
A neonatal loss is the death of a baby who was born alive and died shortly after birth. The baby may have lived for a few days, a few hours or only minutes. The baby may have died for a variety of reasons, including prematurity, infection, defects of major organs or chromosomal abnormalities. The baby’s life-threatening condition may or may not have been detectable before birth. The grief process may be impacted by the gestation of the pregnancy and when problems were detected.
Whether you are parents who learned before or after birth that your baby may die, the initial feelings you experience are very similar. You now have to go from the highs of awaiting a precious baby, to the lows of deep grief. Your emotions and feelings may be constantly changing with the circumstances of your loss.
