Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Who tells a mother her baby has died? Communication and staff presence during stillbirth delivery and early infant death

Journal of Perinatology volume 37, pages 1330–1334 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

Perinatal loss (stillbirth or early infant death) is often a sudden, unexpected event for families. We evaluated who communicates the loss to the parents and who is there for support at the delivery or death.

Study Design:

We conducted a mail survey of 900 bereaved and 500 live-birth mothers to assess emotional, physical and reproductive health outcomes.

Results:

We had a 44% response rate at 9 months after birth or loss from 377 bereaved mothers and 232 with surviving infants. Bereaved women were less likely to have hospital staff or family members present at delivery. African-American (versus Caucasian) mothers were half as likely to have first heard about their stillbirth from a physician or midwife.

Conclusion:

This is the first large study documenting who communicates perinatal death to families and who is present for support. Hospitals should be aware that many bereaved families may lack support at critical times.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kelley MC, Trinidad SB . Silent loss and the clinical encounter: parents' and physicians' experiences of stillbirth-a qualitative analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2012; 12 (1): 137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. O'Connell O, Meaney S, O'Donoghue K . Caring for parents at the time of stillbirth: How can we do better? Women Birth 2016; 29: 345–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Pullen S, Golden MA, Cacciatore J . "I'll never forget those cold words as long as I live": parent perceptions of death notification for stillbirth. J Soc Work End Life Palliat Care 2012; 8 (4): 339–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Rosenblatt PC . Parent Grief: Narratives of Loss and Relationship. Brunner/Mazel: Philadelphia, PA, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Essex HN, Pickett KE . Mothers without companionship during childbirth: an analysis within the Millennium Cohort Study. Birth 2008; 35 (4): 266–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Christiansen DM, Elklit A, Olff M . Parents bereaved by infant death: PTSD symptoms up to 18 years after the loss. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2013; 35 (6): 605–611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Gold KJ, Boggs ME, Muzik M, Sen A . Anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder 9 months after perinatal loss. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2014; 36 (6): 650–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Cacciatore J, Schnebly S, Froen JF . The effects of social support on maternal anxiety and depression after stillbirth. Health Soc Care Community 2009; 17 (2): 167–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Radestad I, Steineck G, Nordin C, Sjogren B . Psychological complications after stillbirth—influence of memories and immediate management: population based study. BMJ 312: 1505–1508.

  10. Vance JC, Najman JM, Thearle MJ, Embelton G, Foster WJ, Boyle FM . Psychological changes in parents eight months after the loss of an infant from stillbirth, neonatal death, or sudden infant death syndrome—a longitudinal study. Pediatrics 1995; 96 (5 Pt 1): 933–938.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Gold KJ, Leon I, Boggs ME, Sen A . Depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms after perinatal loss in a population-based sample. J Womens Health 2016; 25 (3): 263–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Little RJA . Statistical Analysis with Missing Data,2nd edn.John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, 2002.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  13. Hamilton BE, Martin JA, Osterman MJ . Births: preliminary data for 2015. Nat Vital Stat Rep 2016; 65: 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Jabre P, Tazarourte K, Azoulay E, Borron SW, Belpomme V, Jacob L et al. Offering the opportunity for family to be present during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: 1-year assessment. Intensive Care Med 2014; 40 (7): 981–987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. De Stefano C, Normand D, Jabre P, Azoulay E, Kentish-Barnes N, Lapostolle F et al. Family presence during resuscitation: a qualitative analysis from a national multicenter randomized clinical trial. PLoS ONE 2016; 11 (6): e0156100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Northam S, Knapp TR . The reliability and validity of birth certificates. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2006; 35 (1): 3–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Mason LR, Nam Y, Kim Y . Validity of infant race/ethnicity from birth certificates in the context of U.S. demographic change. Health Serv Res 2014; 49 (1): 249–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Lydon-Rochelle MT, Cardenas V, Nelson JL, Tomashek KM, Mueller BA, Easterling TR . Validity of maternal and perinatal risk factors reported on fetal death certificates. Am J Public Health 2005; 95 (11): 1948–1951.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Cockerill R, Whitworth MK, Heazell AE . Do medical certificates of stillbirth provide accurate and useful information regarding the cause of death? Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2012; 26 (2): 117–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. American Medical Association. Code of Medical Ethics: Chicago, IL, 1994.

  21. American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. Official Statements: Interpretation of Ultrasound Examinations, approved 3/27/2010. 2010.

  22. Alkazaleh F, Thomas M, Grebenyuk J, Glaude L, Savage D, Johannesen J et al. What women want: women's preferences of caregiver behavior when prenatal sonography findings are abnormal. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2004; 23 (1): 56–62.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Leash RM . Death notification: practical guidelines for health care professionals. Crit Care Nurs Q 1996; 19 (1): 21–34.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Krahn GL, Hallum A, Kime C . Are there good ways to give 'bad news'? Pediatrics 1993; 91 (3): 578–582.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

KJG was receiving funding through an NIMH K-23 at the time of this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    K J Gold

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    M C Treadwell

  3. Department of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    M E Mieras

  4. Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    N T Laventhal

Authors
  1. K J Gold
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M C Treadwell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M E Mieras
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. N T Laventhal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K J Gold.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gold, K., Treadwell, M., Mieras, M. et al. Who tells a mother her baby has died? Communication and staff presence during stillbirth delivery and early infant death. J Perinatol 37, 1330–1334 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2017.125

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2017.125

Search

Advanced search

Quick links