Loss of a child during pregnancy and birth

«Gute Hoffnung – jähes Ende» («Good Hope – Sudden End»)—the title of a book by Lothrop (2016) written for those affected—succinctly captures what many parents feel when they lose a child during pregnancy or at birth: profound shock. Only moments before, the couple was filled with hope and anticipation for the life ahead, perhaps already imagining a lasting place for the child in their future plans.

Such a loss is one of the saddest and most traumatic experiences a person can go through. The grief affects not only the unborn child, but also all the expectations, hopes, and plans that were associated with it.