In this in-depth discussion, we talk with Dr. Claudia Piccioni about the “uncomfortable” feelings associated with perinatal bereavement. These “uncomfortable” feelings include all those experiences and emotions that, following a …
Claudia Ravaldi
Claudia Ravaldi
I am a psychiatrist and a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist. I graduated in medicine from the University of Florence in 1999, qualified as a psychiatrist in 2003, and completed my training in cognitive behavioural therapy at Studi Cognitivi in Milan in 2004. I went on to take a European master's degree in the neuroscience of mood, run jointly by the universities of Maastricht, Bristol, Florence and Tel Aviv, and a master's degree in eating disorders in children and adolescents at the University of Florence. For many years my research focused on eating disorders and mood disorders. In 2006, after our son Lapo was stillborn at full term, my husband and colleague Alfredo Vannacci and I founded CiaoLapo (www.ciaolapo.it), a non-profit association. It was the first organisation in Italy to support parents and families after perinatal loss, to train hospital staff in bereavement care and to raise public awareness of the subject, and its work has brought lasting improvements both in the care families receive and in public understanding. In 2019 we set up the CiaoLapo Foundation, which is devoted to perinatal research and postgraduate training. In 2023 I completed a PhD in Neuroscience at the universities of Florence, Pisa and Siena, with a thesis on perinatal mental health. In 2025 I took a master's degree in the history and craft of children's literature at Roma Tre University. My research and clinical work centre on perinatal psychology, especially perinatal bereavement and pregnancy after loss, as well as perinatal psychotraumatology, mindfulness, and bibliotherapy with picture books and poetry. I have written books and articles on bereavement, pregnancy, parenthood and the first thousand days of life.
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BabyLoss Awareness ItalyLife after lossMemory BoxPerinatal human rights
Baby Loss Awareness Month 2026: The Bonds That Unite Us
October is Baby Loss Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness about perinatal and infant loss: the goal of this observance is to raise awareness and make visible to everyone the …
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Life after lossTestimonials
“Words to Stay, Words to Flee”: Poetic and Literary Reflections on Perinatal Grief
What happens to words when a child dies? Can writing help give shape to grief and share it, or can it become a way to distance oneself from it? Starting …
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Books and PublicationsPerinatal human rightsTestimonials
Go in Peace: The Importance of Photography in Supporting Perinatal Grief
*Vai sereno* is a photography book by Elisabetta Sanson and Francesco Ranoldi, published in September 2026 by CiaoLapo Edizioni. It tells the story of Liam and his parents through two …
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By Dr. Ambra Beretta, clinical psychologist, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, and representative of the CiaoLapo Association for the Marche region The experience of fathers coping with perinatal bereavement in our country is …
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Books and PublicationsGrief and childrenLife after loss
The Blue Sofa: A Picture Book About Perinatal Grief
“Il divano blu,” a picture book with text by Claudia Ravaldi and illustrations by Chiara Cunati, published by CiaoLapo Edizioni, is now available in our charity shop. We present it …
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Life after lossPerinatal PsychologyTestimonials
Mindfulness and Stress Reduction After Perinatal Bereavement: Practice Sessions
In a previous article, we explored what mindfulness is and how it can help after a perinatal loss. In this second post, we’ll focus on how this practice can be …
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Life after lossPerinatal Psychology
Mindfulness and Stress Reduction Following Perinatal Bereavement
After a perinatal loss, many women and men experience a persistent feeling of fatigue, tension, and hypervigilance. Even long afterward, the body may remain tense, sleep may remain fragmented, and …
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Perinatal human rightsPerinatal Medicine
The new CeDAP: a step forward in the recognition of perinatal bereavement
The Certificate of Childbirth Attendance (CeDAP) is the official tool by which the National Health Service collects data on birth events: clinical, demographic and epidemiological information that makes it possible …
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I interviewed Federica Attanasi, author of “The Shape of Emptiness,” a poetic collection of words and images about perinatal grief. Writing has been my way of breathing inside the void. …
