Loss of the imagined child: Disenfranchised grief in the perinatal and postpartum period
More children die in the newborn period or immediately prior to birth than any other period in childhood.
Bereaved parents are at increased risk of psychiatric and medical hospitalizations (Li, Laursen, Precht, Olsen, & Mortensen, 2005)
Depression and anxiety associated with a previous prenatal loss may persist into subsequent pregnancies, even with the birth of a healthy child (Blackmore et al., 2011).
Parents who have lost a child are are at increased risk for developing chronic health conditions, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and cancer (Li, Johansen, Hansen, & Olsen, 2002; Youngblut, Brooten, Cantwell, del Moral, & Totapally, 2013).
Outcomes
Understand the application of models of loss and grief to parents impacted by the loss of a pregnancy or death of an infant
Demonstrate awareness of the emotional responses of parents anticipating potential death, or anticipating the loss of an imagined future
Demonstrate skill and confidence in communicating with parents in these situations and increase awareness of the impact of how we communicate
Define disenfranchised grief and explore ways in which it impacts families in the perinatal and postpartum period