Dads and Partners

We’re so sorry for your loss. So often the role you take on is holding it all together, being ‘strong’, taking care of the practicalities – before you have even had a chance to process your own loss. Your experience may be very different to your partner’s, but nonetheless you may still suffered a great loss. You don’t have to be strong all the time.

If you have experienced the loss of a baby during pregnancy or soon after birth, people might ask how your wife or partner is, but forget to ask how you are, forgetting that you lost a child too. You will have had your own hopes and dreams for the future which have all been swept away – it’s your grief too and your feelings matter.

Some couples might feel closer after loss and not seek external support. But for others, it can feel that you and your partner are in different places when it comes to grieving. You might not want to share your grief for fear of upsetting them, they might wonder why you don’t talk about it more. One might want to keep busy whilst the other retreats. This can lead to misunderstanding and distance between you. It’s important to keep communication open and reach out for external support if needed. It can be helpful to talk to someone outside of your circle who you can speak freely and honestly with – friends and family, or a bereavement counsellor.

Don’t feel that you cannot ask for support for yourself – sometimes we do such a good job of holding it all together that others don’t think we need support too.

 

Useful "Dads and Partners" links

  • Charlie’s Child Loss Charity on Facebook – support for Dads. Following the loss of his baby at term, Lee soon came to realise is that there isn’t enough support out there for men who are suffering child loss. In 2014, the men’s private support group was born and has developed into a successful safe place for men all over the world.
  • dadstillstanding.com Dad Still Standing was created as a way of helping other dads along their journey with grief. To discuss the difficulties you go through in bereavement, both in the immediate aftermath of baby loss and as time moves on. If your experience is anything like theirs, you’ll have found that there are next to no resources or support for dads… by dads… and that’s precisely what they’ve tried to create.
  • LGBTQIA Community information and support
  • tommys.org comprehensive support information for Dads and partners