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Cited by 16Infant Development and Preterm CareMaternal and Neonatal HealthcareGrief, Bereavement, and Mental Health

Mothers’ experience of maternity and neonatal care when babies die: A quantitative study

Open access
Redshaw, Maggie, Henderson, Jane·2018·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0208134PMC PMC6281265
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: The death of a newborn baby is devastating. While clinical issues may be a primary concern, interpersonal aspects can impact significantly. Mothers in this situation are not easy to access for research and little quantitative evidence is available. In this study we aimed to describe their experience of care, emphasising associations with infant gestational age. METHODS: Secondary analysis of population-based survey data collected through the Office for National Statistics following neonatal death in England in 2012-13. Women were asked about clinical events and care during pregnancy, labour and birth, when the baby died, postnatally and in the neonatal unit. RESULTS: 249 mothers returned completed questionnaires (30% response rate), 50% of births were at 28 weeks' gestation or less and 66% had babies admitted for neonatal care. 24% of women were left alone and worried during labour and 18% after birth. Only 49% felt sufficiently involved in decision-making at this time. Postnatally only 53% were cared for away from other mothers and babies, 47% could not have their partner stay with them, and 55% were not located close to their baby. Mothers of term babies were significantly less likely to report confidence in staff, feeling listened to and having concerns taken seriously during labour, and postnatally many felt insufficiently informed about their baby's condition, and that neonatal staff were not always aware of parental needs. However, most mothers (84%) were satisfied with neonatal care. CONCLUSIONS: There is room for improvement if women whose babies die in the neonatal period are to receive the care and support they need. Women who have a baby admitted to a neonatal unit should be cared for nearby, with room for their partner and with greater involvement in decision-making, particularly where withdrawal of life support is considered.

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  • Given the increased risk presented by multiple gestation, parents reportedly desire additional information about risk reduction for future pregnancies.

    “Furthermore, given the increased risk presented by multiple gestation, parents reportedly desire additional information about risk reduction for future pregnancies.61,91,112,113,220”

    From Bereavement care guidelines used in health care facilities immediately following perinatal loss: a scoping review (2024) · cites this paper as [91]

    The Results (Sample characteristics; page unavailable) report that women with multiple pregnancies were significantly more likely to deliver preterm, supporting the increased-risk context within this study. The paper does not report that parents wanted information about reducing risks in future pregnancies; searches for future-pregnancy advice and risk reduction found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • Social support and healthcare experiences have been linked to immediate grief and long-term psychological health for women.

    “Finally, social support and experiences with the healthcare system have been linked to both immediate grief and long-term psychological health for women [1, 110–113].”

    From Men’s grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal loss: a systematic review and emerging theoretical model (2020) · cites this paper as [113]

  • Pregnancy loss and perinatal death can be devastating, with wide-ranging and frequently long-lasting effects on the psychological wellbeing of parents and those around them.

    “Though usually an occasion of great joy, pregnancies can be physically and emotionally turbulent when women experience complications [1], or go onto suffer a miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death, the effects of which are often devastating.”

    From Preliminary findings on the experiences of care for parents who suffered perinatal bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021) · cites this paper as [16]

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [14]Redshaw M, Rowe R, Henderson J. Listening to parents after stillbirth or the death of their baby after birth. Oxford: NPEU; 2014.
  2. [15]Redshaw M, Henderson J. Safely delivered: a national survey of women's experience of maternity care 2014. Oxford: NPEU; 2015.

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Authors
Redshaw, M., & Henderson, J.
Affiliations
University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
Redshaw, Maggie
ORCID
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2018-12-05
Volume
13
Issue
12
Pages
e0208134
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0208134
PMC
PMC6281265
OpenAlex
W2902795216
Cited by
16
References
28
Citations by year
2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1
FWCI
2.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
University of Oxford
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
Keywords
neonatal death, maternal experience, obstetric care, neonatal care, parental involvement in decision-making, gestational age, parental satisfaction, partner presence, withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, perinatal loss, parental support
MeSH terms
Clinical Decision-Making, Adult, Attitude of Health Personnel, England, Family Characteristics, Female, Gestational Age, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Intensive Care Units, Neonatal, Labor, Obstetric, Mothers, Pregnancy, Perinatal Care, Perinatal Death

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