Siblings

Children who experience the loss of their baby twin or higher multiple sibling or siblings have some special needs that parents are concerned about. For some, it’s in the context of being toddlers or young children who learn that one or more of their much-anticipated new baby brothers or sisters won’t be coming home, or has now died after coming home, and seeing their parents grieving. For others, it’s learning that before they were born, there were twins or more and very sadly some or all of them died. Some families, of course, come to include both kinds of bereaved siblings. For parents who do have living children born before the multiples, the early days, weeks, and months of grief for parents are especially complicated by concerns for their emotional needs, and it may be difficult to talk and explain to them when they are too young to be very verbal yet. Talking and explaining when they are a little older is complicated too, and so is being present for the children’s emotional needs in the midst of parental grief, and (for many) recovery from a difficult and demanding pregnancy and birth and then the devastating outcome. This section is dedicated to these kids, and includes some things that some of them and their parents have shared.