The death of a child, whatever their age, can continue to affect all those who knew the child long after the grieving process might seem to be over.
There is no easy answer to coping with an event that can turn your whole world upside down.
A child’s parents may take years to accept and adjust to their loss.
There is no right or wrong way to grieve and each individual must be allowed to go through their own process.
However, even if your child died a long time ago, it may be helpful to understand that you may go through a range of emotional states such as numbness, anger, guilt, depression and withdrawal.
Anniversaries or different stages of a child’s life can bring up emotions that are difficult to handle.
Each parent will deal with their grief in a different way, which can put stress and strain upon the relationship; men and women often have separate coping strategies.
If parents are no longer in the same relationship that may add to the problems.
Whatever your situation, if you need to talk to someone about losing a child, then there are groups which are able to offer help.
In particular, the Child Death Helpline based at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Child Bereavement Trust offer support to the individual members of bereaved families, appropriate to their age and regardless of how long ago or how old the child; losing an adult child can be as devastating to the parent as losing a baby.
Contact the Child Death Helpline on 0800 282986 or the Child Bereavement Trust on 01494 568900.