10 Invisible Losses After Birth Trauma or a Challenging Postpartum Period

If you experienced a challenging birth or encountered unexpected difficulties in postpartum, you might feel a deep sense of grief or loss for the moments you didn’t get to experience. These losses often feel invisible; few people recognize them and you can feel isolated, confused, and unsure of how to hold space for your grief. Invisible losses aren’t easy to see, but they are deeply felt by those who carry them.

In many instances, you might not even realize you lost something until you hear another parent sharing part of their birth story or talking about their feeding journey with their baby, or if you’ve ever joined a new parent group and realized your experience feels different, and suddenly you feel a deep sense of loss that no one else recognizes.