Informing mothers of neonatal death and the need for family-centered bereavement care: A phenomenological qualitative study

Title

Informing mothers of neonatal death and the need for family-centered bereavement care: A phenomenological qualitative study

Creator

Abdel Razeq NM; Al-Gamal E

Identifier

Publisher

Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing

Date

2021

Subject

grief; neonatal death; bereavement; burial; funeral rites

Description

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.

Rights

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).

Citation List Month

March 2021 List

Collection

Citation

Abdel Razeq NM; Al-Gamal E, “Informing mothers of neonatal death and the need for family-centered bereavement care: A phenomenological qualitative study,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 29, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/17467.