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Cited by 85Grief, Bereavement, and Mental HealthGlobal Maternal and Child HealthInfant Development and Preterm Care

Long-term outcomes for mothers who have or have not held their stillborn baby

Rådestad, Ingela, Surkan, Pamela J., Steineck, Gunnar, Cnattingius, Sven, Onelöv, Erik, Dickman, Paul W.·2009·Midwifery
DOI 10.1016/j.midw.2007.03.005
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Abstract

Objectives to investigate long-term outcomes of mothers who have or have not held their stillborn baby, and predictors of having held the baby.Design postal questionnaires.Setting a nation-wide cohort study of mothers who gave birth to a singleton stillborn baby in Sweden in 1991.Participants 314 out of 380 women answered the questionnaire and 309 reported whether or not they had held their baby.Measurements scales measuring anxiety, depression and well-being.Findings 126 (68%) mothers of 185 babies stillborn after 37 gestational weeks had held their baby and 82 (68%) mothers of 120 babies stillborn at gestational weeks 28-37 had also done so. Compared with mothers who agreed completely with the statement that staff gave enough support to hold the baby, mothers who did not agree were less likely to have held their baby [relative risk (RR) 4.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7-6.1], and mothers with a low level of education were less likely to have held their baby than mothers with a higher level of education (RR 2.2; 95% CI 1.3-3.8). Mothers who had not held their babies born after 37 gestational weeks had an increased risk of headache (RR 4.3; 95% CI 1.1-16.5), and they were less satisfied with their sleep (RR 2.7; 95% CI 1.5-5.0). The increased risk of long-term outcomes associated with not holding, compared with holding, a stillborn baby were less pronounced for women who gave birth at gestational week 28-37 compared with women who gave birth after 37 gestational weeks.Key conclusions in this cohort, we found an overall beneficial effect of having held a stillborn baby born after 37 gestational weeks, whereas findings for having held a stillborn baby born at gestational weeks 28-37 are uncertain. The attitude of staff influenced whether or not the mother held her stillborn baby.Implications for practice if the mother is guided by staff in a sensitive way to hold her stillborn term baby, the experience will possibly be beneficial for her in the long term.

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  • Six studies investigated predictors of depression symptoms among women who had experienced stillbirth.

    “Six studies investigated predictors of depression symptoms among women who had experienced SB [3, 37, 40–43].”

    From Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD after stillbirth: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [41]

  • There was no significant relationship between whether mothers held the stillborn and anxiety symptoms.

    “The study did not detect a significant relationship between whether the mothers held the stillborn and anxiety symptoms.”

    From Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD after stillbirth: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [41]

  • Three studies investigated predictors of anxiety following stillbirth.

    “Three studies [3, 40, 41] investigated predictors of anxiety following SB.”

    From Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD after stillbirth: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [41]

  • Råadestad et al. found a potential beneficial effect of holding the baby after stillbirth on parental mental health, but the small sample size yielded high uncertainty, precluding clear conclusions.

    “Chung and Reed [35] did not find a significant association, whereas Råadestad et al. [41] found a potential beneficial effect, but the small sample size in this study yielded high uncertainty in the estimate, precluding clear conclusions to be reached.”

    From Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD after stillbirth: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [41]

  • Four included studies had a sample of women who experienced stillbirth in 1991, identified through the medical birth register of Sweden.

    “Four of the studies [40–43] had a sample of women who experienced SB in 1991, identified through the medical birth register of Sweden”

    From Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD after stillbirth: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [41]

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Authors
Rådestad, I., Surkan, P. J., Steineck, G., Cnattingius, S., Onelöv, E., & Dickman, P. W.
Affiliations
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
  • Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Rådestad, Ingela
ORCID
Venue
Midwifery
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-08
Volume
25
Issue
4
Pages
422-429
ISSN
0266-6138 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.midw.2007.03.005
OpenAlex
W2142078686
Cited by
85
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 4
FWCI
1.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Midwifery (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
Keywords
stillbirth, maternal outcomes, maternal anxiety, maternal depression, maternal well-being, sleep satisfaction, headache, staff support, maternal education, perinatal loss
MeSH terms
Adult, Attitude of Health Personnel, Female, Gestational Age, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Mental Health, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Postnatal Care, Pregnancy, Risk, Socioeconomic Factors, Sweden, Time, Cohort Studies, Age Distribution, Stillbirth, Young Adult

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