ABSTRACT
Loss in a multi-fetal pregnancy can occur by choice when parents are pregnant with too many babies or one baby is extremely ill. This chapter addresses loss in these situations. The Christian faith provides little written information specific to fetal reduction. In contrast, the Islamic faith recognizes high order multiple pregnancies as dangerous and unnatural and has a provision for parents to make this choice. Parents have almost no time to celebrate their newly diagnosed multiple pregnancy before they are told they need to consider Multi-fetal pregnancy reduction (MFPR). Parenting after MFPR is best described as a journey. A journey of making meaning out of this unspeakable loss and forging a parent-child relationship with both the surviving baby or babies and those who have died. Healing, moving forward with grief and finding ways to honor the children as still part of the family in concrete ways is an important step that professionals need to help parents make.
