Informing mothers of neonatal death and the need for family-centered bereavement care: A phenomenological qualitative study
grief; neonatal death; bereavement; burial; funeral rites
PURPOSE: To understand the lived experience of mothers surrounding the time of being informed of neonatal deaths in intensive care units. DESIGN: A phenomenological qualitative approach was employed. METHODS: Twelve mothers (age 24-41 years) were identified from the neonatal mortality records of two large neonatal intensive care units with high neonate turnover rates in Amman, Jordan. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with the participants. Interpretive phenomenology was used to generate themes regarding the essence of the mother's experience. RESULTS: Critical analyses of mothers' accounts revealed three major themes: (a) Minimize the hurt, which described how mothers intuited overprotection by their families while the news was conveyed indirectly to them; (b) The striking reality of death, which captured mothers' distressing experiences while realizing the loss of their neonates; and (c) Farwell my baby, which accentuated mothers' needs and experiences while neonates' bodies were honored and prepared for burial per the cultural norms in Jordan. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our findings highlighted the complex dynamics of familial interactions and cultural influences on mothers' bereavement experiences at the time of neonatal death. The grieving mothers expressed unfulfilled needs of receiving professional bereavement support at the time of neonatal death. Strategies are needed to optimize the supportive role of specialized nurses in providing family-centered bereavement care to mothers and their families who experience neonatal death.
Abdel Razeq NM; Al-Gamal E
Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing
2021
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/jspn.12328" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1111/jspn.12328</a>
Hospital care for parents after perinatal death
Female; Hospitalization; Humans; infant; Male; Fetal Death; Pregnancy; Adult; Parent-Child Relations; Infant Mortality; Autopsy; Choice Behavior; Funeral Rites; Adaptation; Psychological; patient care team; bereavement; Newborn; Parents/psychology; Photography; Pregnancy Trimester; Second; Stillbirth/psychology; Third
OBJECTIVE: To systematically review parent experiences with hospital care after perinatal death. DATA SOURCES: An evaluation of more than 1,100 articles from 1966 to 2006 was performed to identify studies of fetal death in the second or third trimester and neonatal death in the first month of life. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Studies were limited to those that were in English, evaluated care in U.S. hospitals, and contained direct parent data or opinions. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Results were compiled on five aspects of recommended care: 1) obtaining photographs and memorabilia of the deceased infant, 2) seeing and holding the infant, 3) labor and delivery of the child, 4) autopsies, and 5) options for funerals or memorial services. Sixty eligible studies with over 6,200 patients were reviewed. In general, parents reported appreciating time and contact with their deceased infant, being given options about labor, delivery, and burial, receiving photographs and memorabilia, and having appropriate hospital follow-up after autopsy. CONCLUSION: Although care after perinatal death often adheres to published guidelines, substantial room for improvement is apparent. Parents with perinatal losses report few choices during labor and delivery and inadequate communication about burial options and autopsy results. Hospitals, nurses, and doctors should increase parental choice about timing and location of delivery and postpartum care, encourage parental contact with the deceased infant, and facilitate provision of photos and memorabilia.
2007
Gold KJ; Dalton VK; Schwenk TL
Obstetrics And Gynecology
2007
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1097/01.AOG.0000259317.55726.df" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1097/01.AOG.0000259317.55726.df</a>
Evidence for healing interventions with perinatal bereavement
Child; Female; Humans; infant; Male; bereavement; Adult; Parents; Attitude to Death; Professional-Family Relations; Health Services Needs and Demand; social support; Age Factors; Nurse's Role; Child Psychology; Sex Factors; Funeral Rites; Helping Behavior; Spirituality; Evidence-Based Medicine; Nursing Evaluation Research; Self-Help Groups; Adaptation; Psychological; bereavement; Newborn; Parents/education/psychology; social support; Intervention; Interventions; sibling bereavement; Maternal-Child Nursing; Funeral Rites/psychology; Maternal-Child Nursing/organization & administration; Nurse's Role/psychology; Symbolism
The purpose of this article is to explore the concept of perinatal grief and evidence-based healing interventions for it. The loss of a pregnancy or death of an infant causes profound grief, yet society has long minimized or ignored this grief, which is among the most painful of bereavement experiences. Throughout the last century, research on grief and the special needs of bereaved parents has changed the context of professional intervention from protective to supportive. The central focus of bereavement interventions is to assist families in healing by helping them make meaning of their losses. The use of symbols, spirituality, and rituals has been shown to help bring meaning. Research has shown that memories are key to healing, and that gender, age, and relationships bring different grief expressions and experiences. While children's understanding of loss and grief differs with developmental age, they should also be given the opportunity to participate in grief rituals and practices. Professionals who care for bereaved parents have a unique opportunity to offer support by validating their grief, facilitating rituals, providing mementos, and letting the bereaved tell their stories. While no intervention can bring back their beloved children, appropriate intervention can promote healing.
2005-12
Capitulo KL
The American Journal Of Maternal Child Nursing
2005
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1097/00005721-200511000-00007" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1097/00005721-200511000-00007</a>
From death notification through the funeral: bereaved parents' experiences and their advice to professionals
Child; Grief; Parents; Attitude to Death; Death; Funeral Rites; Fatal Outcome; bereavement; Sudden
Parents who experience the sudden death of a child will interact with many professionals in the period immediately following the death notification through to the funeral. The way these professionals respond to the parents during this critical period may be perceived as helpful, and thus support them in beginning the process of managing the trauma and starting a healthy grieving process. It may also be perceived as unhelpful, though, and contribute to more prolonged and complicated grieving. This article identifies the interventions that a sample of 20 parents who had experienced the sudden death of a child found helpful with different aspects of grieving. Specific advice is given to police, nurses, doctors, coroners, social workers, crisis counselors, funeral directors, and chaplains or clergy.
2003
Janzen L; Cadell S; Westhues A
Omega
2003
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.2190/6xuw-4pyd-h88q-rq08" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.2190/6xuw-4pyd-h88q-rq08</a>