The Integration of the Resolved Through Sharing Perinatal Bereavement Follow-up Model with Latinx Cultural Values: A Case Illustration

Abstract

The Resolved Through Sharing (RTS) Perinatal bereavement model is an approach used for working with birthing people and their families who have experienced a perinatal loss. RTS is designed to help families cope with their grief and integrate the loss in their lives, meet the needs of the families during the initial crisis, and offer comprehensive care to each member of the family affected by the loss. This paper utilizes a case illustration to describe a year-long bereavement follow-up of an undocumented underinsured Latina woman who suffered a stillbirth during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hostile anti-immigrant policy during the Trump presidency. The case illustration is based on a composite case of several Latina women who had pregnancy losses with similar outcomes, demonstrating how a perinatal palliative care (PPC) social worker provided ongoing bereavement support to a patient who experienced a stillbirth. The case illustrates how the PPC social worker utilized the RTS model, incorporated the patient’s cultural values, and acknowledged systemic challenges which resulted in the patient receiving comprehensive, holistic support that aided her emotional and spiritual recovery from her stillbirth. The author ends with a call to action for providers in the field of perinatal palliative care to incorporate practices that allow for greater access and equity for all birthing people.

Perinatal Bereavement in Racially, Culturally, and Gender Diverse Families

“…Nurses and other health care providers might help to bridge this gap by involving an interdisciplinary team including social workers and pastoral care professionals to provide holistic support to patients and their families. In a case illustration describing integration of the Resolve Through Sharing Perinatal Bereavement Follow up Model with Latinx cultural values, Santiago-Warner (2023) describes a perinatal palliative care social worker who worked closely with the patient's pastor and church community to provide emotional and spiritual care. The patient was an undocumented underinsured Latina woman who suffered a stillbirth during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and hostile anti-immigrant policies.…”

“…The perinatal palliative care social worker obtained the patient's permission to speak with her church family by phone and incorporated them into her discharge plan. By working together, the social worker and pastoral care provider were able to develop a comprehensive approach to care that addressed the patient's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs (Santiago-Warner, 2023).…”

Midwives Perceptions on Perinatal Loss Care of Bereaved Mothers at KweKwe General Hospital, Zimbabwe

“…Following perinatal loss, the traditional practises discouraged mother from crying as they believed it was "not yet fully human" [20,21]. In this case grief for the mother was bottled inside and the emotions had no vent as she was told that crying would make the problem repeat itself [22]. The mothers who experienced perinatal loss were not allowed to see the dead body after delivery, neither were they allowed to talk to anyone except to her husband but for a short time.…”