Care, connection, and social distancing: The challenges of baby loss during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand
Open accessAbstract
PROBLEM: The COVID-19 pandemic hindered access to routine healthcare globally, prompting concerns about possible increases in pregnancy loss and perinatal death. BACKGROUND: PUDDLES is an international collaboration exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents who experience pregnancy loss and perinatal death in seven countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand. AIM: To explore parents' experiences of access to healthcare services and support following baby loss during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand. METHODS: We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 26 bereaved parents, including 20 birthing mothers, and six non-birthing parents (one mother and five fathers). Types of loss included 15 stillbirths, four late miscarriages, and one neonatal death. Participant ethnicities were broadly representative of Aotearoa New Zealand's multi-ethnic society. Data were analysed using Template Analysis. FINDINGS: Analysis revealed five themes relating to pandemic impact on bereaved parent's experiences. These were: 'Distanced and Impersonal care'; 'Navigating Hospital Rules'; Exclusion of Non-birthing Parents; 'Hindered Access to Social Support'; and 'Continuity of Relational Care'. DISCUSSION: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated isolation of bereaved parents through perceived impersonal care by healthcare professionals and restrictions on movement hindered access to social and cultural support. Compassionate bending of the rules by healthcare professionals and community postnatal visits by continuity of care midwives following the bereavement appeared to be mitigating factors. CONCLUSION: Social isolation is an added challenge for parents experiencing baby loss during a pandemic, which may be mitigated by flexible and compassionate care from healthcare professionals, especially continuity of care midwives.
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The pandemic intensified pre-existing vulnerabilities and profoundly reshaped the experience of perinatal grief, with potentially long-lasting consequences.
“The pandemic not only intensified pre-existing vulnerabilities but also profoundly reshaped the experience of perinatal grief (60–62), with potentially long-lasting consequences.”
From Experiences and long-term repercussions of perinatal grief in women after perinatal bereavement: a meta-ethnography (2025) · cites this paper as [61]
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- Authors
- Bradford, B. F., Cronin, R. S., Popoola, T., Bright, N., & Silverio, S. A.
- Affiliations
- Victoria University of Wellington (NZ)
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- King's College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Bradford, Billie F.
- Venue
- Women and Birth
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2024-07
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 101622
- ISSN
- 1871-5192 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4396881252
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 4.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Women and Birth (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- NOVA (University of Newcastle Australia) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- King's College London (PF2021_Mar_039)
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- Victoria University of Wellington
- 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 › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
- Keywords
- stillbirth, late miscarriage, neonatal death, perinatal death, miscarriage, COVID-19 pandemic, bereaved parents, social isolation, social support, health care access, hospital rules, compassionate care, New Zealand
- MeSH terms
- Abortion, Spontaneous, Physical Distancing, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adult, Bereavement, Female, Health Services Accessibility, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Interviews as Topic, Male, New Zealand, Parents, Pregnancy, Social Support, Qualitative Research, Stillbirth, Pandemics, Perinatal Death
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