BIRTH PLANNING WHEN A BABY HAS DIED

Abstract

As a private midwife, alongside ‘normal’ full continuity care, I provide specialist care for those facing loss and in pregnancy after loss. Parents often report that the days following identification of their baby’s death passed in a blur. Later they think about things they might have chosen to do if they had the opportunity. This is an experience common with sudden bereavements.1 The following are a few issues to consider. Because the death of a baby before birth is such an unfamiliar event in our society, most parents will not know what to ask. They are likely to appreciate guidance about the choices and options are available to them. These are outlined in the National Bereavement Care Pathway2 for those living in the UK.