Page 146 - Petelin, Ana, Nejc Šarabon, Boštjan Žvanut, eds. 2017. Zdravje delovno aktivne populacije ▪︎ Health of the Working-Age Population. Proceedings. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 146
avje delovno aktivne populacije | health of the working-age population 144 Keywords: perinatal death, needs of grieving mothers, health care
professionals, help
Death in old age is more widely recognized, but when death and loss re-
late to the opposite extreme of age, we are quite uncertain (Mander,
1994). No one expects his child to die before him - we see the death of
the child as something that should not have happened and is against natural
laws (Globevnik Velikonja, 1997; 2000).
Stillbirth is defined as the birth of a child after the 22nd week of pregnan-
cy, when child has no signs of life, and at the age of weighing at least 500 grams
or the length of his body at least 25 centimeters (Statistical Office of the Repub-
lic of Slovenia, n. d.). Barfield (2011) adds that during the perinatal death we al-
so count all live births, who died in the first 7 days of life.
The health care of a deceased newborn should be directed to the whole
family, and requires health professionals to individually address the physical,
emotional, social and spiritual needs of the mother and child or family from
the beginning of the delivery process to the adaptation of the entire family
(Skoberne, 1991). In this point, Globevnik Velikonja (1999) adds that the re-
al needs of mourning parents depend on their individual feelings, personality
and circumstances of the child‘s death, but nevertheless they all deserve to be
treated with the utmost sensibility. The field of pediatric palliative nursing in
Slovenia is an extremely poorly explored area, therefore, we wanted to gain in-
sight into the experience, feelings and emotions by women who experienced a
loss of a child in a perinatal period. Thus, on the basis of their personal expe-
rience, we would highlight and emphasize the advantages or disadvantages of
treatment by healthcare professionals.
Methods
The research was based on a quantitative research approach. The convenient
sample included women (n = 114) who experienced a child‘s loss in the per-
inatal period. The data were collected using an online survey questionnaire
from January to June 2015. The question sets in questionnaire were related to
the display and expression of respect, empathy and emotions, respect for deci-
sion-making, needs and wishes of mothers, respectful communication, infor-
mation, providing psychological assistance, and about respecting the spiritual
or cultural needs of mothers by healthcare professionals. Replies were pro-
cessed using basic descriptive statistics.
Results
Most women (76%) who experienced a child‘s loss in a perinatal period want-
ed to talk about their experiences and would like to speak today. They needed
a conversation and it was helpful for them, but many did not dare to ask them
or wanted to ask them about it.
professionals, help
Death in old age is more widely recognized, but when death and loss re-
late to the opposite extreme of age, we are quite uncertain (Mander,
1994). No one expects his child to die before him - we see the death of
the child as something that should not have happened and is against natural
laws (Globevnik Velikonja, 1997; 2000).
Stillbirth is defined as the birth of a child after the 22nd week of pregnan-
cy, when child has no signs of life, and at the age of weighing at least 500 grams
or the length of his body at least 25 centimeters (Statistical Office of the Repub-
lic of Slovenia, n. d.). Barfield (2011) adds that during the perinatal death we al-
so count all live births, who died in the first 7 days of life.
The health care of a deceased newborn should be directed to the whole
family, and requires health professionals to individually address the physical,
emotional, social and spiritual needs of the mother and child or family from
the beginning of the delivery process to the adaptation of the entire family
(Skoberne, 1991). In this point, Globevnik Velikonja (1999) adds that the re-
al needs of mourning parents depend on their individual feelings, personality
and circumstances of the child‘s death, but nevertheless they all deserve to be
treated with the utmost sensibility. The field of pediatric palliative nursing in
Slovenia is an extremely poorly explored area, therefore, we wanted to gain in-
sight into the experience, feelings and emotions by women who experienced a
loss of a child in a perinatal period. Thus, on the basis of their personal expe-
rience, we would highlight and emphasize the advantages or disadvantages of
treatment by healthcare professionals.
Methods
The research was based on a quantitative research approach. The convenient
sample included women (n = 114) who experienced a child‘s loss in the per-
inatal period. The data were collected using an online survey questionnaire
from January to June 2015. The question sets in questionnaire were related to
the display and expression of respect, empathy and emotions, respect for deci-
sion-making, needs and wishes of mothers, respectful communication, infor-
mation, providing psychological assistance, and about respecting the spiritual
or cultural needs of mothers by healthcare professionals. Replies were pro-
cessed using basic descriptive statistics.
Results
Most women (76%) who experienced a child‘s loss in a perinatal period want-
ed to talk about their experiences and would like to speak today. They needed
a conversation and it was helpful for them, but many did not dare to ask them
or wanted to ask them about it.
