Whatever you're feeling right now is real. Telling one person honestly how you are is enough for today.
Grief often pops up when you least expect it. You may have had a previous miscarriage or loss. You may have lost a family member or friend. Your relationship may have ended. Or you may be struggling with some other unexpected upsetting reality. You don’t magically stop feeling hard things when you become pregnant. You can be pregnant and genuinely happy about the pregnancy and still be carrying grief and other hard feelings. Both things can be true at once, even if the people around you expect you to feel only one or the other.
Tap whichever one fits where you're at
References
This article was developed using sourced educational content from Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings (CPMHT), and informed by the collective knowledge and expertise of CPMHT professionals and Karen Clarke, BA, MSW, RSW, Doula (Open Book Doula, Counselling and Consulting Services), as well as the following cited research and clinical practice guidelines:
Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT). Seeds of Hope: Nurturing Mental Health and Managing Perinatal Mood, Anxiety, and Related Disorders — A Patient and Family Guide. Toronto: CANMAT, 2024.
Shea, A., et al. "Guideline No. 454: Identification and Treatment of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders." Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada 46, no. 10 (2024): 102696.