EP 172: Why Did My Healthy Pregnancy End in Stillbirth?

How can a healthy pregnancy end in stillbirth? When doctors call a pregnancy “textbook,” how does it still become late pregnancy loss?In this episode, Val Kleppen shares her experience of stillbirth at 37 weeks after what was described as a normal pregnancy, despite a previous high-risk pregnancy complicated by HELLP syndrome. One moment everything seemed fine, and the next, there was no heartbeat.We talk about the shock of stillbirth, delivering a baby born sleeping, navigating grief years later, and what life after stillbirth really looks like for bereaved parents. This conversation also touches on fear in pregnancy after loss, long-term grief, and the impact of baby loss on a family.If you’ve experienced stillbirth, late pregnancy loss, infant loss, or pregnancy after loss, this episode offers validation, honesty, and hope.