The Role of Caregivers after a Stillbirth: Views and Experiences of Parents

Karin Säflund · Berit Sjögren · Regina Wredling

121 citations0/0 files storedBirth

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health Global Maternal and Child Health Infant Development and Preterm Care

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The clinical role of the caregiver to parents in the event of a stillbirth has yet to be defined. The aim of this paper was to focus on the caregivers' support as revealed by the parents' experiences. METHOD: One or both parents of 31 stillborn infants (> or =28 weeks) were interviewed twice, for a total of 57 interviews. The data analysis was conducted using a qualitative approach. RESULTS: Parents identified the caregivers' behavior and handling of the stillbirth as important. Findings showed that caregivers should support parents in moments of chaos and at other difficult times. The parents needed assistance in both facing and separating from the baby. The six "qualities" that summarized the findings were "support in chaos,""support in the meeting with and separation from the baby,""support in bereavement,""explanation of the stillbirth,""organization of the care," and "understanding the nature of grief." Findings indicate that the hospital is under an obligation to organize the care and make it possible for parents to see the same caregivers again, and to offer extra ultrasound investigations and checkups without unnecessary bureaucracy. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the "qualities" identified by the study findings should be implemented in clinical care, and could facilitate active guidance and counseling for bereaved parents who have experienced a stillbirth.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 121 citations exist upstream.

References

1971Psycho-social transitions: A field for study 1991Grief Counselling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner 1988Bereavement as a Psychosocial Transition: Processes of Adaptation to Change 1996Psychological complications after stillbirth—influence of memories and immediate management: population based study 1999THE RELATIONSHIP OF ATTACHMENT THEORY AND PERINATAL LOSS

Cited by

2018Stillbirth and perinatal care: Are professionals trained to address parents’ needs?2016Caring for parents at the time of stillbirth: How can we do better?2017Healthcare professionals’ experiences of perinatal loss: A systematic review 2014Stillbirth and Stigma: The Spoiling and Repair of Multiple Social Identities 2008Perinatal Loss: A Qualitative Study in Northern Ireland 2016Provision of Meaningful Care at Diagnosis, Birth, and after Stillbirth: A Qualitative Synthesis of Parents' Experiences 2015Caring for families experiencing stillbirth: Evidence-based guidance for maternity care providers 2015Seeing and Holding Baby: Systematic Review of Clinical Management and Parental Outcomes After Stillbirth

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.