Lived Experiences of Labor and Delivery Nurses Caring for Mothers with Stillbirth

PURPOSE: Stillbirth profoundly affects women and their partners. Caring for mothers after stillbirth is emotionally difficult for nurses; however, how the nurse feels and copes with this experience is underreported in the literature. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of labor and delivery nurses caring for mothers with stillbirth. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A qualitative study using Husserl's descriptive phenomenology was conducted. Labor and delivery nurses in the United States who cared for mothers with stillbirth were recruited through the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses by email. Face-to-face interviews were conducted via Zoom from August to September 2022, until thematic saturation was reached (n = 9). Data were analyzed as described by Colaizzi's phenomenological method. The researchers independently coded transcripts, refined themes, and selected representative quotes. RESULTS: Five major themes were identified as nurses described their experience caring for mothers with stillbirth: bearing witness to grief, confidence over time, caring for each other, an honor and a privilege, and nursing presence. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: When nurses care for more than one patient during a stillbirth, their emotional burden increases. Peer-to-peer support helps nurses process their experiences and reduces feelings of isolation. Education and peer mentoring in bereavement care can build nurses' confidence and skills. Findings underscore the importance of institutional support for established perinatal staffing standards to help preserve nurse wellbeing and quality of bereavement care. Grief debriefs after perinatal loss are a low-cost, low-resource, high-impact intervention that offers emotional processing nurses.