Intended for nurses, doctors, midwives, social workers, chaplains, and hospital support staff, this guide gives caring and practical advice for helping families grieve properly after losing a child at birth. As the special needs of families experiencing perinatal loss are intense and require more than just the bereavement standards in most hospitals, this handbook offers tips and suggestions for opening up communication between caregivers and families, creating a compassionate bedside environment, and helping with mourning rituals. Encouraging continual grief support, these specific companioning strategies can help ease the pain of this most sensitive situation.
The death of a baby is one of the most painful experiences anyone can imagine. This practical, compassionate text guides professionals in providing the best possible care through the physical and emotional pain of a pregnancy loss from early miscarriage to neonatal death, enabling patients and their families to grieve. Written by two professionals with extensive experience in the field, the book inspires confidence for those confronted with this challenging task. It focuses on common issues that inhibit good care and addresses the traditionally difficult topics. Healthcare staff assisting patients during this time often require support of their own and this is also addressed with constructive, inspirational approaches and ideas for professional training. Perinatal Loss: a handbook for working with women and their families offers insights, information and support for managing pregnancy loss for all professionals and students including nurses, sonographers, midwives, doctors (including obstetricians and general practitioners), chaplains and morticians. 'This is an important and warmly welcomed book which thoroughly endorses the key aims of Sands (Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Society). In particular, it demonstrates a forceful commitment to improving care for bereaved families whilst acknowledging the difficult task that staff undertake when caring for them. This handbook encompasses all aspects of perinatal loss, giving due care and attention to the many different circumstances and exploring the thoughts and feelings which are experienced when a baby dies at any gestation.' From the Foreword by Julia Gray
A spiritual companion for those grieving infertility, pregnancy loss, or stillbirth, bringing solace from Jewish tradition.Many people who endure the emotional suffering of infertility, pregnancy loss, or stillbirth bear this sorrow alone. Pregnancies that end too early are hidden; failed attempts at conception are barely mentioned. Many women and men long to find solace in religious ritual and tradition to ease the emptiness felt from a loss that is without a face, a name, or a grave. At last, there is a source that acknowledges and encourages expressions of their grief, and offers comfort in the moments of their pain. Providing companionship and strength for healing from others who also have grieved, Tears of Sorrow, Seeds of Hope is a spiritual companion that enables the reader to mourn within the words and ways of Judaism. Drawing deeply on the wellspring of comfort found in traditional Jewish texts and prayer, it also offers readings and rituals created especially for parents struggling with the uncertainty and sorrow of pregnancy loss and infertility?providing a source of compassion, healing, and hope.
This comforting and healing book is a must--not only for women who have at one time experienced pregnancy loss but also for their parents, sisters, daughters, brothers, and friends. Kim Kluger-Bell's extensive fieldwork as a therapist specializing in the psychodynamics of reproductive crises strips away the shrouds of silence surrounding pregnancy losses and abortions, giving new voice to these "unspeakable losses." Filled with in-depth stories of those who have experienced losses and solid, practical advice with mourning rituals and services, Unspeakable Losses is a necessary companion to all those who have experienced pregnancy loss and those who care about them. This soothing book is a must--not simply for women who have experienced pregnancy loss, but also for their partners and those who care about them. Kim Kluger-Bell, a therapist specializing in the psychodynamics of losing a child before birth--whether to abortion, miscarriage, or other loss--strips away the shrouds of silence surrounding this unique pain. She gives new voice to these "unspeakable losses," in a culture that has rendered its discussion taboo. Combining in-depth stories with solid, practical advice, Unspeakable Losses articulates the myriad emotional stages that arise from pregnancy loss and validates what can otherwise be a terribly lonely experience. This book is a vital companion for women and men in comprehending--and recovering from--their own experience with reproductive crisis.This soothing book is a must--not simply for women who have experienced pregnancy loss, but also for their partners and those who care about them. Kim Kluger-Bell, a therapist specializing in the psychodynamics of losing a child before birth--whether to abortion, miscarriage, or other loss--strips away the shrouds of silence surrounding this unique pain. She gives new voice to these "unspeakable losses," in a culture that has rendered its discussion taboo. Combining in-depth stories with solid, practical advice, Unspeakable Losses articulates the myriad emotional stages that arise from pregnancy loss and validates what can otherwise be a terribly lonely experience. This book is a vital companion for women and men in comprehending--and recovering from--their own experience with reproductive crisis.
More than 1 million women suffer fetal loss each year, yet most of those women will struggle to find words to share their grief or describe their experience. As some of the least talked about types of loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death can be incredibly isolating. The women who experience it become members of a secret society, silenced by shame or guilt, by confusion and loss of control. In Still a Mother, chaplains Joy Freeman and Tabatha Johnson share their own experiences and collect the stories of nearly a dozen other women who have sustained such loss, not only ending the silence but also helping to equip pastors, congregations, family, and friends in ministering more compassionately and attentively to other mothers who grieve. Features practical insights for pastoral care in each chapter.
Nearly 20% of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in miscarriage or stillbirth. Yet pregnancy loss is seldom acknowledged and rarely discussed. Opening the topic to a thoughtful and informed discussion, Linda Layne takes a historical look at pregnancy loss in America, reproductive technologies and the cultural responses surrounding miscarriage. Examining both support groups and the rituals they create to help couples through loss, her analysis offers valuable insight on how material culture contributes to conceptions of personhood. A fascinating examination, Motherhood Lost is also a provocative challenge to feminists and other activists to increase awareness and provide necessary support for this often hidden but critically important topic.
[This] is a story of love, hope, and healing. There are 18 chapters covering intimate aspects of a young life ending and how those who remain behind can grieve in such a way that they go on living. This book is a collection of clinical wisdom, theoretical knowledge and models of care that can continue to tell the story and change cultures of care. As a palliative care nurse I am honored to write this Foreword and to be included in these pages with the authors who are truly pioneers in perinatal and pediatric bereavement. --Betty Ferrell, PhD, RN, MA, FAAN, FPCN, CHPN From the Foreword This is a definitive, state-of-the-art resource on the vital pieces of perinatal and pediatric palliative care. Culling the most important new evidence-based research and findings from scholars and practitioners worldwide, it links theoretical knowledge and clinical practice to fill a gap in current information. The text is distinguished by its provision of different and even competing perspectives that address the complexities of the tragic human experience of perinatal, neonatal, and pediatric death and the nurses and other healthcare providers who provide care to those involved. Contributors disseminate new theoretical approaches and reexamine current concepts in light of new research. They discuss the theoretical underpinnings of perinatal and pediatric bereavement, examine current thought on the dimensions of loss, deliver evidence-based clinical interventions, and offer the perspective of grieving families regarding their experiences and needs. The book provides both novice and experienced scholars of perinatal and pediatric bereavement with a strong foundation of current knowledge. With clinical interventions derived from research, the book will enhance the expertise of clinicians caring for bereaved women and their families. It Includes case studies, interview excerpts, graphics and review questions to illustrate key points, and summaries demonstrating how theory is translated to clinical practice and informs research. Chapters provide objectives, references, and suggestions for additional study. The book is also a valuable study aid for students preparing for the Pediatric Loss Certification exam. Key Features: Provides high-level but accessible information from renowned scholars in perinatal and pediatric loss Disseminates the newest theoretical frameworks that can be used to create interventions and develop research Includes case studies demonstrating how theory is applicable to research and practice Facilitates critical thinking with different and even competing perspectives Serves as a valuable resource for Pediatric Loss Certification (NBCHPN) preparation
Intended for nurses, doctors, midwives, social workers, chaplains, and hospital support staff, this guide gives caring and practical advice for helping families grieve properly after losing a child at birth. As the special needs of families experiencing perinatal loss are intense and require more than just the bereavement standards in most hospitals, this handbook offers tips and suggestions for opening up communication between caregivers and families, creating a compassionate bedside environment, and helping with mourning rituals. Encouraging continual grief support, these specific companioning strategies can help ease the pain of this most sensitive situation.
The death of a baby is one of the most painful experiences anyone can imagine. This practical, compassionate text guides professionals in providing the best possible care through the physical and emotional pain of a pregnancy loss from early miscarriage to neonatal death, enabling patients and their families to grieve. Written by two professionals with extensive experience in the field, the book inspires confidence for those confronted with this challenging task. It focuses on common issues that inhibit good care and addresses the traditionally difficult topics. Healthcare staff assisting patients during this time often require support of their own and this is also addressed with constructive, inspirational approaches and ideas for professional training. Perinatal Loss: a handbook for working with women and their families offers insights, information and support for managing pregnancy loss for all professionals and students including nurses, sonographers, midwives, doctors (including obstetricians and general practitioners), chaplains and morticians. 'This is an important and warmly welcomed book which thoroughly endorses the key aims of Sands (Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Society). In particular, it demonstrates a forceful commitment to improving care for bereaved families whilst acknowledging the difficult task that staff undertake when caring for them. This handbook encompasses all aspects of perinatal loss, giving due care and attention to the many different circumstances and exploring the thoughts and feelings which are experienced when a baby dies at any gestation.' From the Foreword by Julia Gray
This book recognises miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy as bereavement and offers a full understanding of the emotional and medical realities of prebirth loss, women's experiences and the possibilities for grieving and recovery.
