When Words Aren’t Enough: The Heartwork of Holding Space Through Loss

Another loss. Another family whose lives are forever changed. As doulas, we are often the steady hands and open hearts in the most vulnerable of moments—but when tragedy strikes, even the most experienced among us can feel unsteady, heartbroken, and unsure of how to be in that space.

Supporting a family through the death of a mother or baby is the hardest work we will ever do. It’s also the most sacred.

Birth is not always joyful. Sometimes it’s devastating. And in those moments, how we show up matters more than anything we can say or do.

Why Holding Space Training Matters

The Holding Space for Pregnancy and Infant Loss program exists because doulas are often the quiet witnesses to these profound losses, yet we are rarely given the tools to navigate them with the depth of compassion, presence, and sensitivity that families need.

This is not just a training about what to say.It’s a training about how to be.How to hold space when the unthinkable happens.How to support without fixing.How to honor grief in its rawest, most sacred form.

Doulas, This Work is Heart-Taxing — and Heart-Healing

When we step into a birth space, we hold both the potential for life’s greatest joy and its deepest sorrow. It’s a weight we carry as birthworkers, and it’s okay to admit it’s heavy.

We need to care for our own hearts too.We need community.We need tools that teach us how to support families while honoring our own boundaries and wellbeing.

That’s why I’m asking every doula in our network to take the Holding Space for Pregnancy and Infant Loss training. It’s free, but its impact is priceless. It’s a resource that will help you walk into the hardest moments with grace, confidence, and the ability to be a true anchor for grieving families.

We Will Witness Loss Again. Let’s Be Ready to Hold That Space.

I wish I could say that was the last family we would lose. I wish I could promise every birth would end with a baby’s first cry and a mother’s joyful tears. But I can’t. What I can do is invite you to walk this path with me, prepared and present, even in the face of heartbreak.

Please—take the training. Share it with fellow birthworkers. Let’s be doulas who don’t shy away from grief, but who show up with open hearts, steady presence, and the wisdom to hold space when life takes an unexpected turn.

Painted heart reminding us to hold space for those we have lost and loved

➡️ Access the Holding Space Training Here (Free)