Coping After Miscarriage: Books and Journals That Help

Receiving a missed miscarriage diagnosis was one of the hardest moments of my life. I felt lost, overwhelmed, and unsure of what to do next. While my medical team provided guidance, I also wanted to understand why this happened and whether it could happen again. That’s when I turned to books and journaling for support. The first book on this list helped me process my experience and gain insight into pregnancy loss and healing. Although I haven’t yet purchased the grief prompt journal, I plan to because journaling has been incredibly therapeutic for me. If you’re navigating pregnancy loss, I hope these resources provide comfort and clarity during your healing journey.

If you prefer shorter, to-the-point information, there are plenty of helpful posts throughout this blog. Visit the Miscarriage Support section for more insights, guidance, and personal stories to help you navigate pregnancy loss and healing.

The Books

Your Anatomical and Emotional Guides to Processing a Miscarriage

The book Your Guide to Miscarriage and Loss by Kate White, MD is beautifully written by a physician who has experienced tremendous loss, herself. Not only does she empathize with the reader, but she offers a plethora of insight into all types of pregnancy loss at all stages. Towards the end of the book, the reader is offered ideas of how to cope with the emotions that come with pregnancy loss. It is an amazing resource for both partners.

Statistical information about recurrence is also shared, which I found very reassuring. If family and friends have questions about the medical side of things, this is a great book to share as it offers accurate information from a board certified doctor. It does share a small snippet of coping towards the end of the book, but it is mostly a medical guide to miscarriage for those lacking a medical background.

If you are in search of a book that helps with emotional coping after a pregnancy loss, try out At a Loss: Finding Your Way After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Infant Death by Donna Rothert, PHD. Although I cannot attest to its content as I have not personally read it, it does have 4.8 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Many of the reviews on Amazon display that it is a very emotional helpful book after going through this traumatic event.

Writing Your Feelings: Guided and Blank Journals

According to Miscarriage Association, writing down your emotions can help you not only recognize, but also accept them. Journaling is a great way to help you understand your emotions and work through this tough time. The Miscarriage Grief Journal offers journaling prompts that help to sort out your feelings when you are unsure of where exactly to start.

Coupled with other sources, this guided journal can assist in your journey as you begin to work through your emotions. It may be tempting to skip this and go straight to a blank journal. However, this journal has direct questions that will specifically help you to get handle on your emotions during this life event. I have used other guided journals in other aspects of my life, and they always get me to think a lot of introspectively than just writing about my day or my feelings in the moment.

Second to writing in a guided journal, a blank journal can be a great source to pour out any overwhelming ideas, guilt, and feelings. The practice of writing your feelings or your story helps significantly to process what you are going through. The journal Look for the Rainbow After the Storm is a beautiful blank journal to help you compile your thoughts and feelings. If you are not yet comfortable sharing your story with others, try writing it out instead. I’ve found it extremely therapeutic in processing my grief.

Siblings Processing Pregnancy Loss

There are many beautifully written children’s books that help make sense of pregnancy loss for children. There are also many grief books for children to help process other sorts of losses. If your child is able to write, perhaps a journal for them would also be helpful. They too, suffered a tremendous loss and are likely going through some tough emotions that they may need help processing.

A guided Grief Journal for Kids would be a great way for them to process their complex emotions. The journal linked above is appropriate for ages 7 through 13. This book also shares helpful information for coping such as the seven stages of grief to help children understand what they are feeling and why.

My first recommendation is My Sibling Still. This is beautifully written to help children understand the loss of their sibling, why mom and dad may be sad, and that this was not anyone’s fault. There is no theme of religion or heaven in the text and neutral pronouns are used. However, the pictures depict a boy who has lost his sister.

A story for children about always being connected to our loved ones is The Invisible String. It provides a conversation starter about life and death for children and although no longer here, we are forever connected to the ones we love. This book does mention heaven, therefore, the undertone of religion is present. Some reviews of this book mention using it for family that is far away in proximity as well. This is part of a seven book series, including a workbook entitled The Invisible String Workbook.

Processing Pregnancy Loss for Men

Many of men’s emotions are taboo in our society. They are suppose to be stoic and the backbone of the family, not fall apart. However, that does not have to be reality. They are allowed to feel the heaviness of this situation and process their complex emotions in a healthy way.

As mentioned above, one healthy way to cope is to write in a journal. Although I was not able to find a specific miscarriage journal that is geared towards men, a blank journal could work as well. There are also several guided journals available to assist with mental health. The Mental Health Journal offers 70 days worth of prompts for reflection. Alternatively, your partner could also utilize a miscarriage journal to categorize their thoughts as well, even if it is not geared one hundred percent towards men.

As far as reading material, Men and Miscarriage is a great resource that is written for men who are processing this difficult event. Many of the reviews are positive and state the book helped them manage their emotions.

Final thoughts

Experiencing a miscarriage or supporting a loved one through it can be an overwhelming journey. These carefully selected books offer comfort, guidance, and valuable insights to help you navigate the emotional and physical aspects of loss. Whether you’re seeking personal healing or ways to support someone close to you, these resources provide a meaningful starting point. Have you read any of these books, or do you have others to recommend? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

My personal favorites on this list were the guided journals and Your Guide to Miscarriage by Kate White, MD. The guided journals helped me to open up and organize my mangled thoughts. The book by Kate White, MD kept me informed about what happened and the possibility of an recurrence.