Miscarriage & Stillbirth

Loss of a pregnancy or infant is a devastating experience. Sadly, fetal loss is not uncommon, though it is still not often talked about.  

• 25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage/early pregnancy loss (before 20 weeks)
• 1% of pregnancies end in stillbirth (loss after 20 weeks)
• In the US, about 18/100 pregnancies end in abortions (excluding spontaneous abortions, i.e., miscarriages)

The loss may be an "invisible loss", as others may not have known about the pregnancy.  Or, others may ask about the baby, not knowing the pregnancy did not result in a live birth.  These are painful, intimate, and vulnerable experiences, and often times very isolating.  It is also important to know that there is no hierarchy of loss - a later loss does not equate to being more painful than an early loss.  People differ with how they process loss; one's experience of a loss will not be another's, and that's okay.  I honor the array of grief reactions and how one is able to process or make meaning of the event.  

Horses have a unique ability to accept us where we are at, while at the same time asking us to show up authentically and congruently.  This request from the horse pushes us to confront memories or parts of ourselves that we want to cut off or forget.  By not integrating our memories and experiences into our larger life narrative, we stay stuck in grief and trauma reactions.  One of our goals for treatment is to help people integrate their experiences, and that work is further enhanced by including the horses in therapy sessions.  

Given that loss can create feelings of isolation, being with others who have gone through similar experiences can offer validation, encouragement, and support.