Bereavement care guidelines and Support organizations:
- Sands https://www.sands.org.uk/about-sands Sands exists to reduce the number of babies dying and to support anyone affected by the death of a baby, before, during or shortly after birth, whenever this happened and for as long as they need support.
- Stillbirth Toolkit for providers. https://www.stillbirthalliance.org/parent-voices-initiative/advocacy-toolkits/ ISA has developed two toolkits. These toolkits are designed to be readily adaptable to different countries. If you are interested in adapting these toolkits in your setting, we would be happy to help. Please contact us at info(at)stillbirthalliance(dotted)org.
- IMPROVE is a online training package designed to support healthcare professionals in responding to women who have experienced stillbirth, conduct perinatal autopsy and mortality reviews, and communicate with bereaved parents.
Bereavement-related research:
- Research from Denmark on various aspects of bereavement are available here: Life after the Loss Mortality in mothers Parents religious spiritual beliefs practices changes and needs after pregnancy or neonatal loss A Danish cross sectional study Stillbirth – transitions and rituals Unit for Loss
See this recent by ISA Board member Sue Steen on “Raising the bar: development of a perinatal bereavement programme“.
- Katy Gold, former ISA board chair, is interviewed in this article from The Atlantic about changing practices around stillbirth bereavement support in Denmark.
- Chantal Verdon and Francine deMontigny. Experiences of Nurses Who Support Parents During Perinatal Death. May 2021
- Popoola, T.; Skinner, J.; Woods, M. Exploring the Social Networks of Women Bereaved by Stillbirth: A Descriptive Qualitative Study. J. Pers. Med. 2021, 11, 1056. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11111056
- International review of Maternal Bereavement Experience Surveys. The National Care Experience Programme, Ireland
- Miscarriage matters. A new Series of 3 papers published in The Lancet reviews this evidence on miscarriage and challenges many misconceptions. The authors, Siobhan Quenby, Arri Coomarasamy, and colleagues, call for a complete rethink of the narrative around miscarriage and a comprehensive overhaul of medical care and advice offered to women who have miscarriages. April 2021
- Salgado, H.O., Andreucci, C.B., Gomes, A.C.R. et al. The perinatal bereavement project: development and evaluation of supportive guidelines for families experiencing stillbirth and neonatal death in Southeast Brazil—a quasi-experimental before-and-after study. Reprod Health 18, 5 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-01040-4
- Dr Aliki Christou at the University of Sydney and team have developed interviewer guidelines for interviewing bereaved mothers and fathers in Afghanistan; please email her at aliki(dotted)christou(at)sydney(dotted)edu(dotted)au for further information or to access these. You can access the training manual here: Stillbirth study Afghanistan_Training Manual for Interviewers_v1.1_10.10.17
Country specific resources for information and support after stillbirth:
Global Guide https://www.stillbirthalliance.org/global-advocacy-and-implementation-guide/
This action-focused guide brings together existing resources and practical guidance aimed at ending preventable stillbirths and improving care for all women and families who experience stillbirth. It also highlights case studies from a wide range of contexts to showcase what can be achieved. Click on this link to find information and support near you!