Losing a baby during pregnancy is one of the hardest things a person can face. It doesn’t matter if it happens early or later the pain is real, both in your body and your heart. Self-care after pregnancy loss takes time, kindness, and care. This guide is here to help you take care of yourself after a pregnancy loss. It will support you as you begin to heal, inside and out.
Why Is Self-Care After Miscarriage So Important?
After a miscarriage, many people want to act better sooner than they should when they’re still hurting. Self-care after miscarriage helps you heal, rather than requiring you to forget. Looking after your body and your emotions can make you feel stronger and help you start to feel better gradually.
Ask yourself:
- Am I giving myself permission to grieve?
- What do I need right now, physically and emotionally?
Taking Care of Yourself After Pregnancy Loss: First Steps
Taking care of yourself after pregnancy loss starts with listening to your body. Rest is essential. Your body has been through a lot, and it needs time to recover. Try to eat nutritious foods, stay hydrated, and get enough sleep. Don’t be afraid to ask for help with daily tasks or childcare.
Simple things you can do:
- Stay in bed if you feel tired.
- Take short walks when you’re ready.
- Say “no” to things that feel too hard.
Ask yourself:
- What activities give me comfort or peace?
- Do I need space or support right now?
Physical Recovery After Miscarriage: What to Expect
Following a miscarriage, you need time for your body to recover. There is a chance you could experience bleeding, feel stomach discomfort, and notice hormone shifts. It depends on how developed the pregnancy was when you had your miscarriage; signs can disappear after a few days or last for weeks.
Some common signs of physical recovery after miscarriage include:
- Light to heavy bleeding
- Cramping that comes and goes
- Breast tenderness
- Fatigue or weakness
Ask yourself:
- Am I resting enough?
- Do I need to call my doctor about any symptoms?
Healing After Pregnancy Loss is Not A Straight Line
Healing after losing a pregnancy takes time. Some days you might feel okay, and other days you might feel sad again — and that’s completely normal. Healing after a pregnancy loss doesn’t mean you forget what happened. It means you learn how to live with the loss and still take care of yourself.
Your path may include:
- Making a memory box or writing a letter to your baby
- Having a small ceremony to honor your loss
- Taking a break from social media or events that feel triggering
When Should You Seek Extra Support?
Reaching out for grief and self-care tips is a normal thing to do. If you are in a very sad state or if everyday tasks like sleeping or eating are hard for you, a counselor or therapist may give you advice. A miscarriage can greatly upset and worry people, and a professional can assist you in feeling better.
Look for:
- Therapists who specialize in grief or perinatal loss
- Online or in-person support groups
- Trusted friends or family members who will listen without judgment
Ask yourself:
- Am I feeling stuck in my grief?
- Who can I talk to who makes me feel safe?
What About Your Partner or Family?
Partners and family members feel sad in their own way. Their sadness might not look the same as yours. It’s important to talk with each other and give each person time and space to feel and heal.
Tips for supporting each other:
- Share your feelings honestly, even if they are different.
- Take turns caring for each other.
- Follow Grief and Self-Care Tips
Ask yourself:
- How is my partner or loved one feeling right now?
- Are we supporting each other or growing apart?
Honoring Your Experience and Moving Forward
There is no “right” way to heal after a pregnancy loss. Some people feel ready to try for another baby right away. Others may wait or decide not to try again. This is a personal decision, and there is no wrong answer.
You can honor your experience by:
- Lighting a candle on your due date
- Donating to a pregnancy loss organization
- Creating a piece of art or writing in memory of your baby
Ask yourself:
- What does healing look like for me?
- How can I carry love for my baby as I move forward?
A Guide for the Best Self-Care After Pregnancy Loss
Inspired by Lori Johnson’s Book “Until Next Time”
Experiencing pregnancy loss is a deeply personal and painful thing for many women. Lori Johnson reveals the truth of her story in Until Next Time. Lori was thirty-two and pregnant with her second child when her excitement and hope suddenly disappeared after losing the baby. In the book, she shares her emotions of sadness and her journey of Self-Care After Pregnancy Loss.
1. Honor Your Story and Your Emotions
Lori Johnson’s story begins with happiness. A healthy pregnancy, a growing baby boy, and a mother full of love. But when the unthinkable happened, her world changed forever. One of the most important messages of her book is this: your feelings are valid, and your story matters.
Self-Care Tip:
Write in a journal. Say what you feel, without filters even if it doesn’t make sense, even if it hurts. Letting it out is the beginning of letting go of the pressure to “be okay.”
2. Take Care of Your Physical Health
In Until Next Time, Lori shares how her body, the same body that carried life, was left with empty arms. The physical experience of giving birth—especially without the reward of holding a living baby—can be deeply traumatic. Yet healing your body is one of the first steps toward healing your heart.
Self-Care Tip:
- Follow your doctor’s advice for physical recovery.
- Rest. Let others help with meals, chores, or childcare.
- Hydrate and eat gentle, nourishing foods.
3. Let Yourself Grieve Deeply
Lori’s story is filled with moments of deep pain, but also with grace and peace. Her willingness to talk about the loss, decades later, shows how long grief can live in the corners of our hearts. But talking helps. Remembering helps.
Self-Care Tip:
Create a small ritual to remember your baby. Light a candle on their birthday or due date. Plant a flower or tree. Keep a memory box with sonogram pictures or baby clothes. Saying your baby’s name out loud matters.
Lori’s Wisdom:
The story she tells in Until Next Time didn’t come out until 34 years later. That doesn’t make it less real. It makes it timeless. Your love does not expire. Neither does your grief.
4. Protect Your Emotional Space
One of the hardest things about losing a pregnancy is how alone it can make you feel. Other people might not understand your pain. They might say things like, “You can try again,” or “At least it was early.” These words are meant to help, but they can actually hurt more.
Self-Care Tip:
It’s okay to skip baby showers or avoid social media for a while. It’s okay to tell others what not to say. Set boundaries that help you feel safe.
5. Seek Out Community and Support
A special thing about Lori Johnson is how she made her challenges into something good. For years, she shared her story to let others experiencing something similar know they are not alone. (For years, she kept her story in the shadows. Now she wants to share her story to let others experiencing something similar know they are not alone.)
After experiencing a miscarriage, help can be provided by a therapist, your church group, an online group, or a friend. Having to cope with something unpleasant shouldn’t mean dealing with it alone.
Self-Care Tip:
Look for local or online support groups for Self-Care After Pregnancy Loss. Sometimes just hearing “me too” is enough to start healing.
6. Be Kind to Your Future Self
You might not be able to picture the future right now—and that’s okay. But one day, you’ll wake up and feel a little different. It’s not that the pain is completely gone, but life has started to grow around it. That’s what healing really means.
Lori’s story is proof that love continues. That you can carry your baby in your heart while still finding joy in life. Her love for her children, her grandchildren, and the life she built with her husband is inspiring.
Self-Care Tip:
Be patient with your healing. Some wounds take longer than others to close. But life will come back. Slowly. Kindly. When you’re ready.
7. Share Your Story If and When You’re Ready
Lori waited over three decades to tell her story. When she did, it came like a flood of truth and love. Not because she “had to” share it, but because the time felt right.
You may never choose to write a book. But maybe you share your experience with a friend, or in a blog post, or during a quiet walk with your partner. Speaking your truth can be freeing. It can help others, and it can help you.
Also read: How Do Pregnancy Loss Memoirs Help Parents Feel Less Alone? Learn how real stories like Lori’s can bring comfort and connection during grief.
Self-Care Tip:
Write a letter to your baby. Or to your past self. Say what you need to say. Keep it private, or share it if it helps.
Until Next Time is not just a story about loss, it’s a story about strong love, quiet strength, and slowly feeling better over time. Lori Johnson shares a gentle and kind guide to help people find peace after feeling deep sadness. Her book shows that even when your arms feel empty, your heart can still feel full of love. It let readers explore the best Self-Care After Pregnancy Loss.