'Not just me dreaming': parents mourning pregnancy loss

Part of a government-backed study of social support in pregnancy explored women's feelings about pregnancy loss and how the process of mourning and coming to terms with the baby's death can be facilitated. Lynda Rajan considers the practicalities involved in the immediate aftermath of perinatal loss. She discusses the need for recognition of the dead baby as a person for whom grieving is a legitimate process and suggests ways in which health professionals can contribute to promoting the mother's long term emotional health.