The Parental Experience of Pregnancy After Perinatal Loss

Abstract

Objective-To review the research literature on the parental experience of pregnancy, primarily maternal, subsequent to perinatal loss. Data Sources-Computerized searches on CINAHL and PubMed databases.Study Selection-Articles from indexed journals relevant to the objective were reviewed from January 1997 to December 2007. Only research-based studies in English were included.Data Extraction-The review was performed using the methodology of Whittemore and Knafl (2005). Data were extracted and organized under headings: author/year/setting; purpose; sample; design/instruments; results; and nursing implications for parents during a pregnancy following a perinatal loss.Data Synthesis-Depression and anxiety are frequently seen in pregnant women subsequent to a perinatal loss. The parental experience is filled with intense and conflicting emotions as parents balance being hopeful while worrying about another potential loss.

Infant and child deaths: Parent concerns about subsequent pregnancies

“…In addition, while the majority of research in this area is focused on parents who had a perinatal or newborn death, the present study included parents who lost newborns to children 18 years of age. This study sample included White, Black and Hispanic parents while reported studies are almost exclusively samples of White mothers (DeBackere, Hill, & Kavanaugh, 2008). …”

“…This is important since much of the research on pregnancy after infant or child death focuses on pregnancy, perinatal or newborn death and overwhelmingly includes White, married, middle class women (DeBackere, Hill, & Kavanaugh, 2008) despite the changing US population mix.…”

Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms After Perinatal Loss in a Population-Based Sample

“…While a new pregnancy is often a positive event, for bereaved parents, this also raises the specter of a repeat loss, and qualitative work has demonstrated intense anxiety and increased depressive symptoms among perinatally-bereaved women in subsequent pregnancies. 19,[33][34][35] However, many of these studies have been cohort studies of bereaved women and have not included a control group of women with live birth. In addition, most have used convenience sampling.…”

Kvinnors upplevelser av tidig graviditet, efter att ha upplevt ett eller flera missfall tidigare i livet

“…Föräldrarna kan uppleva blandade känslor av hopp och rädsla för en ny förlust. Kvinnor med tidigare missfall visar större oro i början av efterkommande graviditet, än i slutet av graviditeten (13). Woods-Giscombe, Lobel och Crandell (2010) har mätt generell oro och graviditetsrelaterad oro hos kvinnor som tidigare haft missfall, respektive inte haft missfall.…”

“…Att dela isär begreppet perinatal förlust och studera olika företeelser för sig, borde ge bättre insikt i likheter och skillnader i upplevelsen av att vara gravid igen efter missfall såväl som efter intrauterin fosterdöd eller att barnet dör efter födseln. Detta tar även DeBackere upp efter att ha studerat publicerat material angående föräldrars upplevelse av ny graviditet efter perinatal förlust, mellan 1997-2007 (13). I kommande studier finns behov att fokusera på både mäns och kvinnors upplevelse av ny graviditet efter missfall.…”