Lived experiences and coping mechanisms of parents following stillbirth and immediate postnatal death: an interpretative phenomenological study from a North Indian setting

Background Perinatal bereavement represents a profound rupture in parental expectations, often leaving families in an extended search for closure. While there is substantial research that highlight grief following perinatal loss, understanding how parents cope with such loss is essential for developing sensitive and contextually relevant bereavement care. Methods This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of parents who had gone through perinatal loss within six months prior to data collection. Conducted during the formative and early implementation phase (Phase I and II) of the ongoing Strategies to Help in Optimal Pregnancy Outcomes and Reduce Stillbirths in India (SHRiSTI) project, between January and August 2025, in the Palwal district of North India. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with 15 bereaved parents, including both mothers and fathers. Using thematic analysis followed by Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis on selected narratives, the study examined how bereaved parents articulated and made sense of their loss, providing insights into their emotional, social, and cultural experiences of grief and coping. The COREQ checklist was used to ensure comprehensive reporting. Results Four main themes emerged: parents’ responses, amplifiers of grief, coping mechanisms, and search for closure. Immediate reactions included fainting, shock, and planning legal action, while long-term responses involved sadness, loneliness, sleeplessness, and persistent thoughts of the child. Grief showed gendered patterns. Mothers expressed emotions openly, whereas fathers often internalized them. Delayed or inadequate care, unclear communication, and disrespectful treatment by providers, along with delayed disclosure, intrusive questioning, and stigmatization at family and community levels, further intensified grief. Coping strategies included memory-making, withholding memories; and digital remembrance emerged as a contemporary form of memorialization. Most parents struggled to find closure. Conclusion Coping with perinatal loss is a negotiated and context-dependent process rather than a uniform trajectory toward closure. The study emphasizes the need for context specific and culturally sensitive bereavement care within maternal and newborn health services.