Embrace

Abstract

Anticipatory grief is experienced by families who are informed that their unborn child may not survive in utero or during or after delivery. The child who survives delivery, but is critically ill, brings a combination of emotions to the family: joy in welcoming a new life and fear for the future. The healthcare team members caring for the patient and family often witness this grief and are impacted. In the perinatal setting, the care continuum for these patients begins at diagnosis, typically in the prenatal setting, and continued support extends beyond the presumed life expectancy of the child. This case study is provided to demonstrate the utilization of a palliative care interdisciplinary approach to meeting the complex bereavement needs of a family who was expecting a child with a life-impacting congenital condition.

Recommendations for palliative and bereavement care in the NICU: a family-centered integrative approach

“…29 This anticipatory guidance should begin antenatally if a life-limiting diagnosis has been determined. 40 , 41 Participation in bereavement rituals, including those that meet their spiritual, religious and cultural preferences. These rituals may include a variety of practices and items that will help them remember their baby, such as provision of hand prints, foot prints and photographs.…”

“…29 This anticipatory guidance should begin antenatally if a life-limiting diagnosis has been determined. 40 , 41 …”

When Delivery Expectations Change: The Role Nurses Play in Reducing Parental Strees

“…Th e family is aware of the obstacles that the infant may face aft er delivery, but the uncertainty of the preterm infant's immediate future is a source of grief. Oft en, the health care team becomes aff ected by witnessing the grief of the family as they are viewing their infant for the fi rst time in the NICU (Bennett, Dutcher, & Snyders, 2011). A great source of stress for these parents is the loss of the parental role and potential loss of their preterm baby.…”

Palliative Care and Grief Counseling in Peri- and Neonatology: Recommendations From the German PaluTiN Group

“…Whenever parents lose their child, it is an enormously emotionally stressful situation for the family, regardless of whether the child is a stillborn or dies later in life. The earlier this painful loss occurs, the more precious becomes every opportunity for the family to spend with their child, providing care as well as saying goodbye (1,2).…”