Doing, being, and becoming: A family's journey through perinatal loss

Abstract

Occupational therapists are encouraged to reflect on doing, being, and becoming not only as it relates to the development of their profession but also in their own lives (Wilcock 1999). This article is a description of that process for me and my family in our journey through perinatal loss. This autoethnography uses a personally situated account of perinatal death. This article is a form of self-narrative that places me and my family in social context through the lens of an occupational therapist. This article aims to convey the meanings attached to the experience of grief and loss in the context of participation in everyday occupations. By sharing a perspective on the lived experience and connecting it to the literature on grief and occupation, readers will be able to decide if the connection holds as valid from a theoretical and clinical perspective.