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Bereavement

Neonatal death is the loss of a baby less than 28 days old. The most frequent cause of a neonatal infant loss is premature birth. Besides sadness and depression, you may feel guilt or self-loathing for not carrying the pregnancy to term or not being able to save your child once he or she was born, or anger at someone — anyone — you blame for not preventing the death. These are common responses, but there are ways to find some peace during this terrible time.

  • Coming to terms with the loss - The hours, days or weeks after your baby dies may take deplete all your energy - mental and physical. It is easy to slip into the pattern of feeling grief and anger. At this time, it is important that you come to term with the loss of your baby. Hold a funeral for your baby, say your baby's name a couple of times, or keep a small memento of your baby - like a lock of hair.
  • Don't think about the "what ifs" - Don't ask yourselves questions you have no answers to. These questions compound your grief loss and guilt, and will only make it more difficult to come to terms with the loss. You need to understand that you have done everything you can to keep your baby healthy, and premature birth wasn't your fault.
  • Getting help - After the death of your premature baby, it is important for both the parents to seek help from a therapist. You need to talk about what happened, and slowly come to terms with it. Support groups and online discussions can help you as well.