Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Perinatal grief: understanding the bereaved and their carers

  • Chapter
Book cover Midwifery Practice: Core Topics 3

Part of the book series: Midwifery Practice ((MIPRA))

Abstract

Our understanding of the carer’s painful grief associated with the loss of a baby has markedly increased since Bourne’s research drew attention to our medical colleagues’ difficulties when facing such a death (1968). Those midwives with long memories remember that medical personnel were not alone in encountering such difficulty. Midwives found themselves resorting to the ‘rugger pass’ approach to cope with caring for the bereaved mother (Mander 1994).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Adshead G, Dickenson D (1993) Why do doctors and nurses disagree? In Dickenson D, Johnson M (eds) Death, Dying and Bereavement. Open University and Sage, London, pp. 161–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alty A, Rodham K (1998) The ouch! factor: problems in conducting sensitive research. Qualitative Health Research, 8(2): 275–82.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Antle May K (1989) Interview techniques in qualitative research. In Morse JM (ed.) Qualitative Nursing Research: A Contemporary Dialogue. Aspen, Rockville, pp. 188–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartos C, Mander R (1995) The implications of culture when caring for a mother following loss in pregnancy. British Journal of Midwifery, 3(11): 591–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beutel M, Willner H, Deckardt R, Von Rad M, Weiner H (1996) Similarities and differences in couples’ grief reactions following a miscarriage: results from a longitudinal study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 40(3): 245–53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bourne S (1968) The psychological effects of stillbirth on women and their doctors. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 16: 103–12.

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brannen J (1988) Research note: the study of sensitive subjects. Sociological Review, 36(3): 552–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnell GM, Norfleet MA (1979) Women who place their infant up for adoption: a pilot study. Patient Counselling and Health Education, (summer/fall): 169–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cannon S (1992) Reflections on fieldwork in stressful settings: difficulties for the sociologist studying the treatment of breast cancer. Sociology of Health and Illness, 11: 62–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chalmers I (1993) Effective care in midwifery: research, the professions and the public. Midwives Chronicle, 106 (1260): 3–12.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cochrane AL (1972) Effectiveness and efficiency. Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole A (1993) Vital support. Nursing Times, 89(13): 16–17.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cordell AS, Thomas N (1997) Perinatal loss: intensity and duration of emotional recovery. Omega — Journal of Death and Dying, 35(3): 297–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowles KV (1996) Cultural perspectives of grief: an expanded concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 23(2): 287–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Driscoll TR, Hull BP, Mandryk JA, Mitchell RJ, Howland AS (1997) Minimizing the personal cost of involvement in research into traumatic death. Safety Science, 25: 1–3, 45–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunn L (1991) Research alert! Qualitative research may be dangerous to your health. Qualitative Health Research, 1(3): 388–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dyregrov A (1991) Grief in Children: A Handbook for Adults. Kingsley, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farnsworth EB (1996) Reflexivity and qualitative family research: insider’s perspectives in bereaving the loss of a child. Marriage and Family Review, 24: 3–4, 399–415.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finch J (1984) ‘It’s great to have someone to talk to’: the ethics and politics of interviewing women. In Bell C, Roberts H (eds) Social Researching: Politics Problems and Practice. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, pp. 70–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forrest G, Standish E, Baum J (1982) Support after perinatal death: a study of support and counselling after perinatal bereavement. British Medical Journal, 285: 1475–79.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freilich M (1979) Fieldwork: an introduction. In Freilich M (ed) Marginal Natives: Anthropologists at Work. Harper & Row, New York, pp. 1–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost M, Condon JT (1996) The psychological sequelae of miscarriage: a critical review of the literature. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 30(1): 54–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gans HJ (1982) The participant observer as a human being: observations on the personal aspects of fieldwork. In Burgess RG (ed.) Field Research: A Sourcebook and Field Manual. George Allen & Unwin, London, pp. 53–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gohlish M (1985) Stillbirth. Midwife, Health Visitor and Community Nurse, 21(1): 16.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gregory D, Russell CK, Phillips LR (1997) Beyond textual perfection: transcribers as vulnerable persons. Qualitative Health Research, 7(2): 294–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gribbin J (1998) Review: How not to do it. New Scientist, 157 (2116): 41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland J, Ramazanoglu C (1994) Power and interpretation in researching young women’s sexuality. In Maynard M, Purvis J (eds) Researching women’s lives from a feminist perspective. Taylor & Francis, London, pp. 125–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunfeld JA, Mourik MM, Passchier J, Tibboel D (1996) Do couples grieve differently following infant loss? Psychological Reports, 79(2): 407–10

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hunfeld JA, Wladimiroff JW, Passchier J (1997) Prediction and course of grief four years after perinatal loss due to congenital anomalies: a follow-up study. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 70(1): 85–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iles S (1989) The loss of early pregnancy. In Oates MR (ed) Psychological Aspects of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Baillière Tindall, London, pp. 126–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacob SR (1993) An analysis of the concept of grief. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 18: 1787–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson MP, Puddifoot JE (1996) The grief response in the partners of women who miscarry. British Journal of Medical Sociology, 69: 14, 313–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalish RA (1985) Death, Grief and Caring Relationships, 2nd edn. Brooks Cole, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly L (1988) Surviving sexual violence. Polity Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kühler-Ross E (1970) On Death and Dying. Tavistock Publications, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laslett B, Rapoport R (1975) Collaborative interviewing and interactive research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 37: 968–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee C, Slade P (1996) Miscarriage as a traumatic event: a review of the literature and new implications for intervention. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 40(3): 235–44.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee RM (1981) Interreligious courtship and marriage in Northern Ireland. PhD thesis, University of Edinburgh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee RM (1993) Doing Research on Sensitive Topics. Sage, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leon IG (1990) When a Baby Dies: Psychotherapy for Pregnancy and Newborn Loss. Yale University Press, Yale.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lilford R, Stratton P, Godsil S, Prasad A (1994) A randomised trial of routine versus selective counselling in perinatal bereavement from congenital disease. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 101(4): 291–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lin SX, Lasker JN (1996) Patterns of grief reaction after pregnancy loss. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 66(2): 262–71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lindemann E (1944) Symptomatology and management of acute grief. American Journal of Psychiatry, 101: 141–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipson JG (1989) The use of self in ethnographic research. In Morse JM (ed.) Qualitative Nursing Research: A Contemporary Dialogue. Aspen, Rockville, pp. 73–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lumley J (1980) The image of the fetus in the first trimester. Birth, 7(1): 5–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mander R (1991) Midwifery care of the grieving mother — how the decisions are made. Midwifery, 7(3): 133–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mander R (1994) Loss and Bereavement in Childbearing. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mander R (1995) The Care of the Mother Grieving a Baby Relinquished for Adoption. Avebury, Aldershot.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin J (1993) Doctor’s mask on pain. In Dickenson D, Johnson M (eds) Death, Dying and Bereavement. Open University/Sage, London, pp. 83–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moulder C (1998) Understanding Pregnancy Loss: Perspectives and Issues in Care. Macmillan, London.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Neugebauer R, Kline J, Shrout P et al (1997) Major depressive disorder in the six months after miscarriage. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277(5): 383–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nolan ML, Hicks C (1997) Aims, processes and problems of antenatal education as identified by three groups of childbirth teachers. Midwifery, 13(4): 179–88.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oakley A (1981) Interviewing women: a contradiction in terms. In Roberts H (ed.) Doing Feminist Research. Routledge, London, pp. 30–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parkes CM (1972) Bereavement. International Universities Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pine VR, Brauer C (1986) Parental grief: a synthesis of theory research and intervention. In Rando TA (ed.) Parental Loss of Child. Research Press, Champaign IL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prendiville W, O’Kelly F, Allwright S, Mcguinness N (1997) The management of first trimester miscarriage by general practitioners in Ireland. Irish Journal of Medical Science, 166(1): 3–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Râdestad I, Nordin C, Steineck G, Sjogren B (1996) Stillbirth is no longer managed as a non-event: a nationwide study in Sweden. Birth, 23(4): 209–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rajan L (1994) Social isolation and support in pregnancy loss. Health Visitor, 67(3): 97–101.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rees C (1997) An Introduction to Research for Midwives. Hochland & Hochland, Hale.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson DS, McKenna HP (1998) Loss: an analysis of a concept of particular interest to nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 27(4): 779–84.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rynearson EK (1987) Psychotherapy of pathologic grief: revisions and limitations. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 10(3): 487–99.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salvesen KA, Oyen L, Schmidt N, Malt UF, Elk-Nes SH (1997) Comparison of long term psychological responses of women after pregnancy termination due to fetal anomalies and after perinatal loss. Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 9(2): 80–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schaap AHP, Wolf H, Bruinse HW Barkhofvandelande S, Treffers PE (1997) Longterm impact of perinatal bereavement — comparison of grief reactions after intrauterine versus neonatal death. European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Biology, 75(2): 161–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stroebe W, Stroebe MS (1987) Bereavement and Health: The Psychological and Physical Consequences of Partner Loss. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas V, Striegel P (1995) Stress and grief of a perinatal loss — integrating qualitative and quantitative methods. Omega — Journal of Death and Dying, 30(4): 299–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Maanen J (1988) Tales of the Field. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Worth NJ (1997) Becoming a father to a stillborn child. Clinical Nursing Research, 6(1): 71–89.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mander R (1994) Loss and Bereavement in Childbearing. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaffir WB, Stebbins RA (eds) (1991) Experiencing Fieldwork: An inside view of qualitative research. Sage, London.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Rosemary Mander
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Jo Alexander Carolyn Roth Valerie Levy

Copyright information

© 2000 Macmillan Publishers Limited

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Mander, R. (2000). Perinatal grief: understanding the bereaved and their carers. In: Alexander, J., Roth, C., Levy, V. (eds) Midwifery Practice: Core Topics 3. Midwifery Practice. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-15038-0_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-15038-0_3

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-333-76433-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-15038-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation