The ATA Chronicle - January/February 2023 - 17

was the first grandchild for
both families and now she
was gone. All the baby clothes
hanging in her closet would
never be worn. Baby showers
would be canceled and we
would be planning a funeral,
not decorating her room.
The labor and delivery
process were a blur. I
remember Adam on the phone
and our parents coming and
going. We were visited by a
chaplain and our pastor who
prayed with us. All the while,
I kept pushing the button
on my patient-controlled
analgesia pump to try to
make everything go away.
Regardless of the number of
times I pressed that button, I
couldn't make it go away.
As I reflect on the experience
now, the people I remember
most from labor and delivery
were the nurses. I came to
learn later on that there is a
subspecialty group of labor
and delivery nurses called
bereavement nurses. If Adam
needed to step out, they came
and sat with me. They listened
to me as I talked about the
despair and helplessness I felt.
They validated my loss as a
real loss.
One of the nurses was
named Angel. I can still see
her sitting next to my bed
and holding my hand as I
tried to process what was
happening. I told her that
" we had been planning to
name our baby Maya, but I
wasn't sure anymore. " She
looked at me knowingly
and said, " I think you are
sure. Maya is a beautiful
name. " I sobbed. This was
a crucial breakthrough for
Adam and I. Naming our
daughter allowed us to grieve
her properly. We were able
to grieve all the hopes and
dreams we had for her that
www.ata-chronicle.online
The conversations you interpret
between a patient experiencing
a loss and their health care
provider could be some of the few
opportunities that patient has to
receive proper counseling.
would never come to fruition.
We grieved the little things
too. My husband had been
practicing how to put hair
up in a ponytail. Now, there
would be no little girl's hair
to brush. The expectant joy
we had felt with the promise
of a daughter had turned into
a black pit of despair and
grief, which we were both
navigating differently.
The nurses made
a memory box for us
with Maya's name on
it. The hospital called a
photographer who came to
take pictures after she was
born. One of the photos was
my husband's wedding band
around Maya's tiny foot,
an image I still have as my
screensaver today. They even
made molds of her hands
and feet, which are carefully
displayed in a curio cabinet
in our home. While other
parents would get to take
their babies home and create
a lifetime of memories,
we would take a box home
that would be one of a few
tangible possessions to
remember her short life.
Navigating Loss
as an Interpreter
When I speak to medical
interpreters about the
complexities of interpreting
for infant and pregnancy
loss, it's in tribute to the
little girl who made me
a mother. The one who
touched my life so deeply
that I would forever be
changed. When meeting
with a psychologist during
my recovery, she once told
me that in her decades of
experience she found that
" the deeper the love, the
harder the loss. " Suffice it
to say I experienced clinical
depression after Maya left us.
With the support of my
husband, friends, family, and
my own will to have another
child, I slowly started
climbing out of the dark
hole that enveloped me. I
reached out and found other
women, like me, who could
understand the loss of a baby
and the unfulfilled promise
of a life together. Eventually,
four of us revived a support
group for people suffering
from infant and pregnancy
loss. I found comfort in our
unfortunate bond. All of us
eventually went on to have
more children and support
each other through our
subsequent pregnancies. We
understand each other in a
way only members of this
undesirable club can.
Losing Maya is the worst
thing I've ever experienced.
I can only imagine how
difficult it would have been if
I didn't speak English, have a
solid financial situation, or a
dependable support system.
When I train interpreters on
how to navigate interpreting
for these kinds of losses, I
emphasize that if they're
doing their job right,
they're making a significant
difference in people's lives.
According to Drexel
University's online module,
Psychological and Medical
Aspects of Pregnancy Loss1
,
" two out of five patients
[who have had a loss] will
not only experience intense
grief, but also a complicated
bereavement with depression,
anxiety, or PTSD [posttraumatic
stress disorder]
symptoms. " This type of
complicated bereavement can
manifest through feelings of
" guilt, worthlessness, suicidal
thoughts, or [the inability] to
care for others. "
Furthermore, the module
explains in detail the reasons
why miscarriage is just as
likely to affect patients as
having a stillborn child
or experiencing the death
of a baby or older child.
Miscarriage is considered an
" ambiguous loss...[one that
is] not defined in social or
legal contexts as the death
of a human being. " Parents
are often confused and don't
know how to feel or who
to talk to about their loss.
Especially for first trimester
miscarriages, family and
friends are often unaware the
individual was pregnant.
The encouraging news is
that health care providers are
trained to have conversations
with patients about
miscarriages, pregnancy,
and infant losses. Drexel
University highlights this
saying, " psychopathologies
decrease if a woman is
counseled appropriately. "
This is why it's fundamental
for interpreters to
practice the principle of
communicative autonomy2
American Translators Association 17
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The ATA Chronicle - January/February 2023

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