How does the grief of infant death ever reach resolution?

As time goes on, your grief will begin to fade. Eventually you'll find it easier to engage in other aspects of life. The first anniversary of your baby's death and other poignant reminders will be difficult, but these kinds of reminders will get easier with time.

It's important to deal with the isolation that can happen when you are experiencing both bereavement and trauma. The loneliness and the feeling that this somehow has only happened to you can postpone the healthy working through of grief or trauma, which can lead to prolonged grief or stress. Elements of grief and stress can surface years later if you are exposed to an emotional trigger associated with your loss.

One avenue of help can be found in bibliotherapy — reading or listening to narratives, novels, short stories or poetry. Poetry, and in particular spoken poetry, can be helpful psychologically and biologically in dealing with grief. For example, reading or listening to poetry that hits home, even if it was written many years ago, can help you feel less alone, less singled out and more connected with others who might have had the same experience. It's also an effective way to let people important to you understand your experience.

Sadness surrounding your baby's death might be permanent. With time, however, your heart-wrenching grief is likely to move toward a new normal of loving remembrance.