Hello! I have a character who lost her husband and unborn child in a car accident. A year later, she gets pregnant from a casual relationship. In my story, at same time she wants the baby, she finds it difficult to bond with it and the babie's father. Mostly out of survivor's guilt and a feeling she is "betraying" the memory of the loved ones she feels she should still be mourning, you know? Is it a realistic reaction?
Yes, this is absolutely a realistic reaction. Having extreme difficulty bonding with a baby is even realistic for people who donât go through that kind of trauma. Itâs called peripartum depression or PPD. Note - it used to be called âpostpartum depressionâ, but people are starting to use âperipartumâ because people are realizing the depression can actually start while the person is still pregnant - itâs not restricted to after they give birth.
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