Evidence for Healing Interventions With Perinatal Bereavement

Abstract

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.

Music Therapy During End-of-life Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – Reflections from Early Clinical Practice in Colombia

“…Knowing about the families' social support system is paramount in this sense, since support from families and friends, but also an active participation in religious communities for example, can ameliorate complicated grief (CG) reactions after perinatal loss (Kerstin & Wagner, 2012). Support groups or bereavement services after a baby dies can additionally help parents to cope with their loss (Capitulo, 2005;Harvey, Snowdon, & Elbourne, 2008), but this is still not common practice in Colombia.…”

“…Saying good-bye is often a silent and solitary act in the NICU, without music, poetry, or the presence of friends or even important family members. Rituals can thus be crucial elements during end-of-life care in the NICU and can help families to find support, meaning and to initiate their grief process in the context of a structured and shared experience (Capitulo, 2005;Kobler, Limbo, & Kavanaugh, 2007).…”

“…Similarly, context and culture are underlying forces that influenced all the cases and are particularly important to bear in mind when working with families whose background differ from those of the music therapist (Forrest, 2011(Forrest, , 2014Mondanaro, 2016). In addition to cultural differences, mothers and fathers can experience distinct challenges when having a baby in the NICU (Mondanaro, Ettenberger, & Park, 2016), which may result in different ways of coping when facing the death of their baby (Capitulo, 2005;Kersting & Wagner, 2012). Thus, developing a selective understanding of grief and loss in parents is crucial for end-of-life care in the NICU but also vital with respect to other causes than death (Dyer, 2005a, b).…”

Vanhempien parisuhteeseensa toivoma tuki lapsen kuoleman jälkeen

“…Teoreettisena lähtökohtana toimivat ymmär rys lapsen kuolemasta parisuhteeseen vaikut tavana tekijänä ja näkemys tuen tärkeydestä lapsen kuoleman jälkeisessä elämäntilanteessa (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)18).…”

Hospital-based organ donation memorial ceremony: a grounded theory pilot study

“…Parents greatest fears were that their children would be forgotten. [1] Memorials serve as a focal point of remembrance and commemorate that individuals' life. Memorials serve to remember the loved one while raising awareness.…”