Lavela Library
Welcome to Lavela Library, our home for evidence-based and expert-curated resources on what to expect physically and emotionally after reproductive loss—and how to get the right kind of support.
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If a stillbirth is diagnosed, your care team will talk with you about delivery. In most cases, this involves inducing labor. The process can take time. It may include medication, pain management, monitoring, and support in the hospital.
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After stillbirth, you may be physically recovering from labor, delivery, and postpartum symptoms while also grieving the loss of your baby. You may have also had to plan a memorial or a funeral, discuss cremation, and other unimaginable obstacles....
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Stillbirth is a very real loss of a baby. It can also imply the loss of a future, an identity, a set of plans, and a sense of safety. Because the pregnancy was far along, the grief can feel especially intense, poignant, and sharp.
Real experiences from the Lavela community on the moments that stayed with them, what surprised them, and what helped along the way.
Share your storyK
What I wish people understood is that not every pregnancy ends with a baby coming home. Phrases that begin with "at least…" are not always comforting. OBGYN waiting rooms are not always joyful places. Some people announce pregnancies "too soon," not realizing that for some, that announcement is all they ever get.
Ec
This is not something you simply "move on" from. It is a process, and even now, talking about it brings tears to my eyes. The advice I share with others is this: accept the outreach. Sometimes the most helpful support comes from someone unexpected—someone who understands because they've been there too.
C
Losing my beautiful baby boy at 17 weeks gestation completely and utterly has destroyed me as a person…I have 2 living children and it has been so difficult being a mother and grieving my son while my kids are so involved too.
A
It's easy to brush it off as "just an early pregnancy," but the truth is, I wanted that baby deeply. The timing didn't negate the loss or the grief. The emotional whiplash—going from excitement, to hope, to disappointment—was incredibly hard.
Lw
I started to notice how others talked about women who get pregnant easily like it's an accomplishment and demonstrates her physical superiority. Whereas, women who experience pregnancy loss are often made to feel like that is somehow due to something being wrong with us.
Mj
Im now 6.5 months pregnant, due April with a baby girl. This journey changed me forever. Yes it made me stronger but it also showed me the importance of getting help, listening to your gut and understanding the fertility journey takes time.
