Support for mothers, fathers and families after perinatal death

Abstract

Background Provision of an empathetic, sensitive, caring environment and strategies to support mothers, fathers and their families experiencing perinatal death are now an accepted part of maternity services in many countries. Interventions such as psychological support or counselling, or both, have been suggested to improve outcomes for parents and families a er perinatal death. Objectives To assess the e ect of any form of intervention (i.e. medical, nursing, midwifery, social work, psychology, counselling or community-based) on parents and families who experience perinatal death. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (28 January 2013) and article bibliographies. Selection criteria Randomised trials of any form of support aimed at encouraging acceptance of loss, bereavement counselling, or specialised psychotherapy or counselling for mothers, fathers and families experiencing perinatal death. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently assessed eligibility of trials. Main results No trials were included. Authors' conclusions Primary healthcare interventions and a strong family and social support network are invaluable to parents and families around the time a baby dies. However, due to the lack of high-quality randomised trials conducted in this area, the true benefits of currently existing interventions aimed at providing support for mothers, fathers and families experiencing perinatal death is unclear. Further, the currently available evidence around the potential detrimental e ects of some interventions (e.g. seeing and holding a deceased baby) remains inconclusive at this point in time. However, some well-designed descriptive studies have shown that, under the right circumstances and guided by compassionate, sensitive, experienced sta , parents' experiences of seeing and holding their deceased baby is o en very positive. The sensitive nature of this topic and small sample sizes, make it di icult to develop rigorous clinical trials. Hence, other research Support for mothers, fathers and families a er perinatal death (Review)

Effects of a family‐support programme for pregnant women with foetal abnormalities requiring pregnancy termination: A randomized controlled trial in China

“…Hence, it is essential to offer and make accessible to pregnant women appropriate support from caregivers and their direct social networks. This helps to overcome the psychological crisis and moderates the psychological trauma (Koopmans, Wilson, Cacciatore, & Flenady, 2013). To date, various studies have explored the social field of perinatal loss, leading to the widespread development and implementation of a range of support interventions, including perinatal palliative care, birthing options after diagnosis of foetal death, pain relief and sedation, seeing and holding the dead baby, memory creation, Web-based support, culturally sensitive care, counselling, psychotherapy, and other approaches (Endo, Yonemoto, & Yamada, 2015;Koopmans et al, 2013).…”

Vanhempien parisuhteeseensa toivoma tuki lapsen kuoleman jälkeen

“…(9-14.) Tuen merkitys lapsen kuoleman jälkeisessä tilanteessa on tunnistettu, ja tutkimusta erilaisista tukimuo doista ja niiden vaikuttavuudesta on tehty (13,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). Myös parisuhdenäkökulma on ollut kes kiössä joissakin tutkimuksissa (3,(6)(7)(8)(20)(21)(22), mutta parisuhteeseen toivottua tukea lapsen kuoleman jälkeisessä elämäntilanteessa ei ole tutkittu, vaikka tiedetään lapsen kuoleman ole van kriisi parisuhteelle (3,6,7).…”

“…Teoreettisena lähtökohtana toimivat ymmär rys lapsen kuolemasta parisuhteeseen vaikut tavana tekijänä ja näkemys tuen tärkeydestä lapsen kuoleman jälkeisessä elämäntilanteessa (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)18).…”

Understanding mothers’ experiences of positive changes after neonatal death

“…However, there are no studies pertaining to the experiences of post-traumatic growth in mothers whose baby died in the neonatal period. A recent Cochrane review identified a need for further research into the area of perinatal death and post-traumatic growth, in order to develop more effective post-loss interventions (Koopmans, Wilson, Cacciatore, & Flenady, 2013). A qualitative method is best suited to explore the complex experiences of mothers whose neonatal baby has died.…”