What is anticipatory grief?
Anticipatory grief is similar to the normal process of mourning, but it occurs before the actual death (in anticipation of the death). While mourning is usually discussed in regards to the family and loved ones of a dying person, anticipatory grief can be experienced by the family, loved ones, and the child dying. Anticipatory grief occurs before death, often as a result of a terminal diagnosis or to a life-threatening illness, when death is a possibility. This grief has some common stages among people in the same situation, however, every individual and family is different and experiences grief, death, and illness in their own unique way.
