Grieving and the Loss of the Newborn

Grieving and the Loss of the Newborn The death of an infant just prior to or following delivery is always difficult to accept. The surviving mother and family pose special problems for nurses in an obstetrical service where one expects the excitement and joy of birth, not grief and mourning. Yet caring for bereaved mothers is a part of nursing. Nurses can provide support and information which will allow these patients to both ventilate their grief and participate in decisions related to their care. Ways in which this can be done emerged in interviews with 25 women who lost babies in