Support for Women after Pregnancy Loss – From Power to Empowerment

Perinatal Loss” refers to the experience of parents who lose a pregnancy for a variety of

reasons including: early miscarriage, late miscarriage, recurrent miscarriages, spontaneous

abortion, induced abortion following the discovery of a fetal abnormality or danger to the life of

the mother, intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) or stillborn.

Many women describe the loss of a pregnancy as very traumatic. They experience intense feelings

of mourning, loneliness, insensitivity from their environment and from the health system which

all lead to social alienation. Despite the fact that thousands of women share a similar experience,

many women describe intense loneliness and indicate that their mourning is a private and personal

one. They believe that there is no place for their mourning in the communal sphere and there is

no public consideration for their situation.

“The power of a group as a therapeutic and supportive tool results from the fact that the group

is a microcosm that enables the individual belonging to it, to work in protective conditions and

in situations where he finds it difficult to deal with publicly in his community. Great importance

is given in the group for personal space. Every woman and her overall situation has its own pace

and unique path in the framework of belonging because “a stranger won’t understand”.

In the spirit of the vision and mission statement

of the Hadassah Nursing Department:

emphasizing the provision of sensitive, caring and culturally appropriate treatment

centering on the well-being and empowerment of the patient, and the advancement of

her welfare providing hope and quality of life.

The Birthing Center of Hadassah offers support groups for women and couples that

have experienced pregnancy loss.

In the course of our work, a need was identified :

.. by the women themselves - only they can truly understand

.. by the staff - creation of a framework of belonging, of a shared destiny

The rationale for establishing the group