The Tie That Binds

Abstract

Relationship is a central concept to the delivery of quality perinatal bereavement care. This article explores relevant bereavement research and clinically based writings about relationship in the care of families experiencing perinatal loss. Focusing on relationship provides a framework to guide interventions that will be perceived as meaningful and helpful to grieving parents. From the moment parents learn the difficult news of their baby's poor prognosis or death, nurses must strive to establish trust while building an effective working relationship with the family. A nurse with an understanding of the relationship needs can guide parents in creating a context for supporting each family member dealing with this unexpected family tragedy. Through sensitive follow-up bereavement care, nurses provide a source of hope for grieving families over time. Ultimately, nurses must find meaningful ways of self-care as a way of reinvesting in future relationship with other grieving families.

Nurses’ experiences providing bereavement follow‐up: an exploratory study using feminist poststructuralism

“…Nurses in this study indicated they experienced moral distress and personal suffering. Therefore, this finding may be transferable to the experiences of other nurses working in BFU, and we concur with other authors who suggest it is important for nurses to promote self‐care, so they can continue to support grieving families (Limbo & Kobler 2010). Continued education and mentoring for nurses would help to diminish some of the angst experienced by those who care for bereaved families.…”

“…These relationships can be important to both parties and may be remembered for a lifetime (Limbo & Kobler 2010). Therefore, it is important for those relationships to be supported in a legitimate way.…”

Best practice in bereavement photography after perinatal death: qualitative analysis with 104 parents

“…The answer defies simple formulas that either “overgeneralize” or “hyper-standardize” [(Cacciatore 2011 ), p. 212], and clearly requires appropriate provider education as well as sensitivity, compassion, and flexibility (Limbo and Kobler 2010 ). Multiple authors have discussed the importance of perceived support and compassion from professionals [e.g., (Kelley and Trinidad 2012 ; Hughes and Goodall 2013 ; Limbo and Kobler 2010 )].…”

“…The answer defies simple formulas that either “overgeneralize” or “hyper-standardize” [(Cacciatore 2011 ), p. 212], and clearly requires appropriate provider education as well as sensitivity, compassion, and flexibility (Limbo and Kobler 2010 ). Multiple authors have discussed the importance of perceived support and compassion from professionals [e.g., (Kelley and Trinidad 2012 ; Hughes and Goodall 2013 ; Limbo and Kobler 2010 )]. “Through a caring relationship with the clinician, a woman can make decisions based on her authentic desires rather than based on fear….Psychoeducation that is conveyed with warmth and honesty about…options such as holding the baby, photographs, or mementos, may give them a sense of informed control” [(Cacciatore 2012 ), p. 695].…”

“…Parents facing the intense crisis of child death are vulnerable to the attitudes and intimations of healthcare providers (Cacciatore 2011 ; Badenhorst and Hughes 2007 ; Limbo and Kobler 2010 ). Providers should not allow personal opinion about postmortem photography to guide their approach to parents, but instead should advise according to best practice evidence and the insight gained from attending mindfully to individual parents’ feelings, wishes, and needs (Hughes and Goodall 2013 ; Cacciatore 2012 ; Limbo and Kobler 2010 ). To date, academic literature contains scant mention of specific parental preferences for the enactment of postmortem photography (Harvey et al 2008 ).…”