129: Why Mom Guilt Is Louder After Stillbirth
Thu Feb 05 2026
Send Jen a Text Message
Parenting after loss is a whole different level of hard.
You’re grieving a baby you don’t get to raise… and at the same time, you’re expected to keep showing up for the kids you already have. Get them dressed. Feed them. Play with them. Be patient. Be present. Be okay.
And if you’re anything like I was, that pressure comes with a crushing amount of guilt.
In this episode, I’m talking honestly about mom guilt after baby loss—especially when you’re parenting older children while your heart is shattered. I share what this season actually looked like for me after losing my twin daughters at 32 weeks, raising a five-year-old and a two-year-old, and feeling like I was failing everyone at once.
This is not a “do better” episode.
It’s a permission slip.
Permission to lower the bar.
Permission to be messy.
Permission to stop expecting yourself to be the mom you were before.
I also walk you through a gentle do’s and don’ts list—not rules, just grounded reminders for getting through the days when everything feels impossible.
If you’ve ever thought:
“My kids deserve a better mom than this”“I should be more grateful because I still have living children”“I’m failing the kids who are here because I’m grieving the one who isn’t”You are not alone. And you are not doing this wrong.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why mom guilt hits harder when you’re parenting after lossThe impossible pressure to “be okay” for your living childrenWhy you cannot be the mom you were before—and why that’s not a bad thingHow survival days still count as real parentingWhy crying in front of your kids is not damaging themHow guilt stacks on top of grief after stillbirthSimple ways to take care of yourself without adding more pressureWhat actually matters on the hardest dayshttps://navigatingbabyloss.com/workshop
Free workshop for moms grieving stillbirth or pregnancy loss. Learn simple, trauma-informed practices to release guilt, calm the what-ifs, and honor your baby's memory with love instead of pain. Includes bonus Grief & Guilt Release Journal.
Download my FREE "Guilt and Grief Release Journal" at navigatingbabyloss.com/journal
WHERE TO FIND AND FOLLOW ME!
Website- https://www.jennifersenn.com Tik Tok-https://www.tiktok.com/@navigatingbabyloss Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/navigatingbabyloss/ You Tube-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz-2MCEY5PRiF6p6VB_2lxA
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Send Jen a Text Message Parenting after loss is a whole different level of hard. You’re grieving a baby you don’t get to raise… and at the same time, you’re expected to keep showing up for the kids you already have. Get them dressed. Feed them. Play with them. Be patient. Be present. Be okay. And if you’re anything like I was, that pressure comes with a crushing amount of guilt. In this episode, I’m talking honestly about mom guilt after baby loss—especially when you’re parenting older children while your heart is shattered. I share what this season actually looked like for me after losing my twin daughters at 32 weeks, raising a five-year-old and a two-year-old, and feeling like I was failing everyone at once. This is not a “do better” episode. It’s a permission slip. Permission to lower the bar. Permission to be messy. Permission to stop expecting yourself to be the mom you were before. I also walk you through a gentle do’s and don’ts list—not rules, just grounded reminders for getting through the days when everything feels impossible. If you’ve ever thought: “My kids deserve a better mom than this”“I should be more grateful because I still have living children”“I’m failing the kids who are here because I’m grieving the one who isn’t”You are not alone. And you are not doing this wrong. In this episode, we talk about: Why mom guilt hits harder when you’re parenting after lossThe impossible pressure to “be okay” for your living childrenWhy you cannot be the mom you were before—and why that’s not a bad thingHow survival days still count as real parentingWhy crying in front of your kids is not damaging themHow guilt stacks on top of grief after stillbirthSimple ways to take care of yourself without adding more pressureWhat actually matters on the hardest dayshttps://navigatingbabyloss.com/workshop Free workshop for moms grieving stillbirth or pregnancy loss. Learn simple, trauma-informed practices to release guilt, calm the what-ifs, and honor your baby's memory with love instead of pain. Includes bonus Grief & Guilt Release Journal. Download my FREE "Guilt and Grief Release Journal" at navigatingbabyloss.com/journal WHERE TO FIND AND FOLLOW ME! Website- https://www.jennifersenn.com Tik Tok-https://www.tiktok.com/@navigatingbabyloss Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/navigatingbabyloss/ You Tube-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz-2MCEY5PRiF6p6VB_2lxA