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    Life After Miscarriage: The Healing Power of Non-Sexual Physical Touch

    by Marla Mattenson Oct 14, 2019 5 minutes
    Life After Miscarriage: The Healing Power of Non-Sexual Physical Touch, by Marla Mattenson. Photograph of man and woman embracing by Antonio Dicaterina
    Photograph by Antonio Dicaterina

    One woman’s story of how non-sexual physical touch helped her discover a path to healing and a deeper connection with her partner after their miscarriage.

    _______

    It’s a plus! We’re pregnant!

    I ecstatically shared the proof from three tests with my sweetheart at the beginning of this year. I even took snapshots of three pink pluses, my evidence. Yet, truth be told, even within that happiness, I had this awful, gnawing knowing that I tried to push down — the pregnancy wouldn’t last. Perhaps it was just nerves so, I did all the things I was supposed to do anyway: took the prenatal vitamins, made the doctor’s appointments, ate healthy food choices and exercised. All the things.

    Then the day came, and the blood started to flow — just a little at first. Maybe everything would still be OK. , I tried to tell myself, as if I had some control over the process. As if I could stop the bleeding and hold this baby safely in my womb. Two days

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