Pregnancy Loss & Miscarriage Therapy
Your loss matters, and your grief deserves care.
Pregnancy loss can be deeply painful, no matter the timing or circumstances. Every experience is significant, and every emotion is valid. At Dancing Bee Counseling, Abby Lemke, MS, LPC-IT offers compassionate, specialized support for individuals and couples navigating the challenges of pregnancy loss in the Madison, Wisconsin area. Together, we create a safe space for healing and understanding.
You've Experienced a Profound Loss
Pregnancy loss is heartbreaking, and the pain is real. Well-meaning comments like "At least you know you can get pregnant" or "You can always try again" often minimize the depth of what you're going through—the loss of a baby you already loved, a future you had envisioned, and a version of your family that will never be.
Our culture often struggles to acknowledge this grief. There may be no ceremony, no formal recognition, and expectations to return to normal life far too soon. People may stop asking how you're doing, even though your grief continues. Loss doesn't follow a timeline, and the absence of your baby remains deeply significant, regardless of how others respond.
Miscarriage counseling gives you a safe, caring space to be heard. It's a place where your loss is honored, your feelings are respected, and you can take the time you need to process—without anyone rushing you to "move on."
Pregnancy Loss Counseling for All Types of Loss
Dancing Bee Counseling provides grief support for every kind of pregnancy loss, regardless of gestational age or circumstances.
Early Miscarriage
Chemical Pregnancy
Recurrent Loss
Ectopic Pregnancy
Missed Miscarriage
Second Trimester Loss
Stillbirth
TFMR
Processing Pregnancy Loss in Counseling
Pregnancy loss grief is unique. It's often invisible to others and misunderstood by those who haven't experienced it. Therapy provides a dedicated space to work through what you're feeling without judgment or pressure to "move forward" before you're ready.
Telling Your Story
Healing begins with being heard. Sharing your story can be a powerful step toward recovery. In counseling, you have a safe space to process these moments with care and compassion, creating room for hope and emotional healing at your own pace.
Processing Complex Emotions
Grief after miscarriage isn't just sadness. It can include anger, guilt, jealousy, and anxiety. Every emotion you feel is valid. There's no "right" way to grieve, and all of your feelings deserve space and compassion.
Navigating Triggers
Baby showers. Pregnancy announcements. Due dates that pass without a baby. We'll develop strategies for surviving these moments that bring fresh waves of grief.
Making Meaning
Many people need to find some way to honor their loss and integrate it into their life story. This looks different for everyone, and we'll explore what it means for you.
Additional Challenges After Pregnancy Loss
Loss often occurs alongside other struggles. Dancing Bee Counseling also provides support for:
Navigating Pregnancy After Loss
Pregnancy after miscarriage can bring a mix of emotions—hope, fear, and uncertainty. It's common to feel anxious and cautious, even while longing to enjoy this new chapter.
Infertility Grief
When pregnancy loss happens in the context of infertility, the grief compounds. You're mourning this baby and the ease of conception you never had.
Strengthening Relationship After Loss
Miscarriage can affect partners in different ways, and those differences sometimes create distance during a time when connection matters most.
Facing the Future After Loss
It's completely understandable to experience anxiety when trying again.
Who Seeks Miscarriage Counseling?
There's no "right" time to get support after pregnancy loss:
Days after a loss in acute grief and needing immediate support
Weeks or months later when grief isn't lifting and others have stopped asking
After multiple losses traumatized and afraid to try again
Years later when something triggers unresolved grief from a past loss
Before trying again wanting to process grief before another pregnancy
Currently pregnant after loss terrified instead of excited
Partners and spouses grieving their own loss while trying to support someone else
Couples disconnected by different ways of grieving
Whenever you're ready to talk, support is available.
Schedule a ConsultationWhy See a Pregnancy Loss Specialist?
Pregnancy loss grief has unique characteristics that benefit from specialized support.
Understanding the Medical Experience
I understand what the medical process involves and the emotional weight it carries. You won't have to explain the medical side of your loss.
Recognizing Disenfranchised Grief
Pregnancy loss is often "invisible" grief that society doesn't fully acknowledge. I understand why this lack of recognition makes the grief harder, not easier.
Knowing the Triggers
Due dates, pregnancy announcements, baby showers, Mother's Day. I understand why these moments hit so hard and can help you prepare for them.
ASRM Training
My training through the American Society for Reproductive Medicine includes specialized preparation for supporting pregnancy loss.
Questions About Pregnancy Loss Counseling
How long does grief after miscarriage last?
There's no standard timeline for pregnancy loss grief. Some people feel acute grief for weeks, others for months or longer. Grief often comes in waves rather than following a linear path. Many people experience a resurgence of grief around significant dates like the due date or anniversary of the loss. If you're struggling to function in daily life, experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, or feeling "stuck" in your grief, therapy can help regardless of how much time has passed.
Do I need counseling after a miscarriage?
Not everyone needs professional support after pregnancy loss, but many people benefit from it. You might consider counseling if your grief feels overwhelming, if you're having trouble functioning at work or in relationships, if you're experiencing anxiety or depression symptoms, if you've had multiple losses, or if you're struggling with the decision about whether to try again. There's no threshold of "bad enough" you need to meet. If you want support, you deserve it.
Is it normal to feel guilty after a miscarriage?
Guilt is one of the most common emotions after pregnancy loss, even when there was nothing you could have done to prevent it. You might replay everything you ate, drank, or did, searching for a reason. You might feel guilty for not being "further along" in your grief. You might even feel guilty for having moments of happiness. All of these feelings are normal responses to loss. Therapy can help you work through guilt and understand that miscarriage is almost never caused by anything the pregnant person did or didn't do.
How do I cope with pregnancy announcements after miscarriage?
Pregnancy announcements can feel like a punch to the gut after loss. Coping strategies include muting or unfollowing people on social media, having a trusted person screen announcements for you, giving yourself permission to skip baby showers, and acknowledging your feelings without judgment. It's possible to feel genuine happiness for someone else while also feeling grief for your own loss. These emotions can coexist. A therapist can help you develop specific strategies for navigating these triggers.
When should I try again after miscarriage?
This question has both medical and emotional components. Medically, most providers recommend waiting until after one normal menstrual cycle, though recommendations vary. Emotionally, the timeline is personal. Some people feel ready quickly; others need more time to grieve before trying again. There's no right answer. What matters is that you feel emotionally prepared for either outcome, whether the next pregnancy brings another loss or a baby. Pregnancy after loss brings its own anxiety that therapy can help you prepare for.
Pregnancy Loss Counseling in Madison, Wisconsin
Dancing Bee Counseling provides specialized miscarriage and pregnancy loss therapy from our Waunakee office. Telehealth sessions are available throughout Wisconsin.
Dancing Bee Counseling
Serving Families Throughout:
Conveniently located in Dane County, minutes from downtown Madison.
Abby Lemke, MS, LPC-IT
Reproductive Mental Health Specialist
I founded Dancing Bee Counseling because I saw how many people were grieving pregnancy loss without access to specialized support. This kind of grief deserves care from someone who truly understands the experience.
My training through the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) prepared me specifically for the unique grief of pregnancy loss. I understand what you're going through, and I won't rush you toward healing before you're ready.
Your Grief Matters
You don't have to carry this alone. A consultation is simply a conversation about what you're experiencing and how therapy might help.
In-person in Waunakee · Telehealth throughout Wisconsin