Nurses Role during Perinatal Bereavement

ABSTRACT

The loss of a pregnancy is a physiological and emotional challenge for the mothers especially. This time is extremely difficult for the parents and they can exhibit emotions like anger, shock, emptiness, helplessness and loneliness. Nurses are expected to care for the bereaved families and parents regardless whether they feel prepared or not. Unfortunately, many nurses face difficulties in dealing with the mothers experiencing pregnancy loss. Lack of education and training on how to communicate better create dissatisfaction in the bereaved families. Similar incident I encountered where a female patient was dealt in a very insensitive manner during her 21st week of pregnancy which was to be terminated due to bulging of the fetal membranes. It is necessary for nurses to be well prepared to support the grieving mothers thus making nursing a trusted profession.

Keywords: Bereavement, grieving, pregnancy loss.