Your Doula Training Meant Well. Loss Asks for More.
This blog explores three common beliefs that many professionals in the perinatal space hold as they navigate supporting loss families: 1) Time heals, 2) I’ll just follow the family’s lead, and 3) Don’t bring it up. It might make it worse. Vallen unpacks each of these beliefs and then shares alternatives for care professionals to use in their work with grief and loss.
When Compassionate Professionals Don't Know What to Say
Most professionals who support a family through pregnancy or infant loss care deeply. The problem is that many were never actually taught what to say when there is no heartbeat, a miscarriage happens, or a baby dies. When compassionate professionals do not know what to say, fear and discomfort can lead to silence, clichés, overexplaining, or words a grieving family remembers forever. This article offers a different way forward: practical, trauma informed communication that helps nurses, doulas, birth workers, and perinatal professionals stay present when families need them most.