Bereaved parents’ experience of care and follow‐up after stillbirth in Sydney hospitals

Abstract

Simple key components of care including a sensitive and respectful approach, offering guidance as to creating memories, and arranging follow-up care in a quiet and private environment are valued by families experiencing a stillbirth. Incorporating these into practice is achievable and could benefit both families and caregivers.

Living with Loss: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial evaluating an internet-based perinatal bereavement program for parents following stillbirth and neonatal death

“…In 2018, approximately 30% of stillbirths and neonatal death occurred in rural and remote regions of Australia [ 1 ]. Compared to those in metropolitan areas, parents in rural and remote regions have limited access to face-to-face support services and the specialized bereavement care that is often needed following the death of a baby [ 12 ].…”

“…The provision of respectful and supportive perinatal bereavement care to parents and families around stillbirth and neonatal death is a major contributor to their immediate and long-term wellbeing [ 10 ]. Community-based settings are vital to providing ongoing support to parents following hospital discharge, but support received is often inadequate [ 4 , 11 , 12 ]. The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirth Series highlighted the unmet needs of bereaved parents following hospital discharge with 31% of women describing their post-hospital care after stillbirth as poor [ 4 , 11 ].…”

“…The Lancet Ending Preventable Stillbirth Series highlighted the unmet needs of bereaved parents following hospital discharge with 31% of women describing their post-hospital care after stillbirth as poor [ 4 , 11 ]. Critical gaps exist in the transition from hospital-to-home and in providing ongoing bereavement support for families following a baby’s death [ 4 , 11 , 12 ]. Health professionals report barriers to the effective provision of perinatal bereavement care, including insufficient training and experience in bereavement care, a lack of clear care pathways, and limited availability of support systems and structures for parents [ 5 ].…”

Understanding bereavement experiences of mothers facing the loss of newborn infants

“…Each year, approximately 2 million women live with symptoms of postnatal depression due to perinatal loss, 3 which has associated direct and indirect costs, including medical care and investigation at the time of the death to assess its impact on future pregnancies, funeral expenses, reduced social performance, impacts on relationship and breakdown of the family unit, and negative effects on employment. [4][5][6][7][8][9] Literature reviews aimed at evaluating these experiences report the presence of psychological symptoms in mothers, including high rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, panic and phobias, 9,10 with the onus tied to these emotional demands being intangible. Studying mental health during the postnatal period is critical for designing appropriate assistance, which will aid in the prevention of damages to the bereaved in terms of their well-being and social life.…”

A qualitative study exploring the experiences of bereavement after stillbirth in pakistani, bangladeshi and white british mothers living in luton, UK

“…Bereavement research with parents who have experienced a stillbirth has been protracted, due to ethical and sensitivity considerations. The majority of existing studies to date have utilised survey methods (Bond et al, 2018;Downe et al, 2013b;Gravensteen et al, 2013;Inati et al, 2018;. While, these studies may be considered less intrusive (Sque, 2000), it focuses the bereaved mothers attention upon the deductive questions pertinent for the researcher.…”