Loss of a child during pregnancy and birth

«Gute Hoffnung – jähes Ende» — the title of a companion book by Lothrop (2016) for people with lived experience — captures precisely what many parents feel when losing a child during pregnancy or birbirth: a profound shock. Just moments before, the couple was full of hope, full of anticipation for the life to come, perhaps already picturing a firm place for their child in their future. Suddenly, all of that is extinguished.

Such a loss is among the saddest and most life-altering experiences a person can face. The grief concerns not only the unborn child, but also all the expectations, hopes, and plans that were tied to that child's life.