1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. In 2021, the stillbirth rate rose to 4.2 stillbirths per 1,000 births from 3.9 stillbirths per 1,000 births in 2020 (ONS, 2022). Pregnancy and infant loss is a very prevalent issue. There is a clear impact of pregnancy loss on mental health. Farren et al. 2016 looked at how miscarriage can trigger PTSD. Results showed that a large number of women observed suffered from moderate to severe anxiety and displayed PTSD symptoms even up to 3 months past the loss. This impact can carry on over to subsequent pregnancies and women have reported feeling anxious and distressed in a pregnancy after loss.
A study conducted by Wojcieszek et al. 2016 suggested there is a need for more emotional support in pregnancies following a stillbirth and an Australian study (Choienta et al. 2014) concluded that a history of pregnancy loss increases the risk of mental health problems in subsequent pregnancies – in particular low mood, depression and anxiety. More recently, a study by Bailey et al. 2019 showed that there were several key themes for a woman in the early part of a pregnancy subsequent to loss – Turmoil of emotions, preparing for the worst, setting of personal milestones, hypervigilance, social isolation, adoption of pragmatic approaches and need for professional affirmation. This study concluded that women pregnant again after loss would benefit from better emotional support during their pregnancy.
The importance of Perinatal Mental Health support has been highlighted in the NHS Long Term Plan, as the NHS aim to ensure that at least 66,000 women with moderate/complex to severe Perinatal Mental Health difficulties can access care and support in the community by 2023/24. Willow’s Rainbow Box are really committed to helping to promote positive mental health and wellbeing and providing peer support for women, birthing people and families who may experience feelings of anxiety during their pregnancy after loss and this has potential to really contribute to work in improving Perinatal Mental Health outcomes with regards to families who have been through previous loss.