ABSTRACT
Losing a baby, whether early in pregnancy or nearer to birth, is a difficult experience for anyone. From conception, parents may have built their ideas of their future with this child, and had hopes and dreams for them. The loss of the baby also represents the loss of those dreams. For LGBTQ+ people, there is evidence that the loss may have additional dimensions, as becoming pregnant may have involved a significant investment of time and/or money. Medical services available to those who are currently miscarrying or experiencing the stillbirth of their baby may be cisheterosexist, and the use of wrongly gendered language for either the gestational or non-gestational parent during this difficult experience may cause additional distress. After the loss, parents may also find that support services are cis-heterosexist, and research shows that LGBTQ+ people may experience less support from their family members after a pregnancy loss, due to homophobic and transphobia. These local services are also being affected by global politics.
