The grief of losing a child during pregnancy or shortly after birth - perinatal grief - involves intense emotional stress for families and their closest environment. It is a grief with unexpected connotations, given that death is not part of this life cycle.
However, the loss of a baby becomes an even more traumatic experience, since the taboo and silence in our society regarding this death do not allow us to openly acknowledge the experience of loss, making the experience even more traumatic. For this reason, healthcare centers work to end taboos by accompanying families throughout the process.
Parc Taulí maintains a close commitment to people going through perinatal grief and guarantees them a comprehensive support program to assist them. To do this, the professionals in the Gynecology and Obstetrics service and the Newborn Area continuously train and expand their portfolio of services.
The hospital recently added a Cuddle Cot. This is a thermal cradle for stillborn babies that makes it easier for parents to say goodbye to their bereaved child through a cooling system. This way, parents have more time to say goodbye.
“After the loss, we offer families the possibility of having the child with them to say goodbye, for as long as they need. It is a very difficult time and being able to have this intimate moment helps them a lot.”, explains Dr. Yolanda Canet, director of the Gynecology and Obstetrics service.
The thermal cradle represents a tool that humanizes the perinatal grief process and provides visibility to perinatal losses, contributing to the emotional well-being of the family.
The Gynecology and Obstetrics service at Parc Taulí incorporated this tool in March and 10 families have already used it to say goodbye to their child.
Making visible a misunderstood reality
From 26 weeks of gestation, the Law requires the baby to be buried in the event of loss. But the times set by the administration do not correspond to the emotional state in which the families are. Given this fact, the professional team of the Obstetrics Service of Parc Taulí observed that in some cases they needed more time to make decisions. For this reason, a circuit was established between the Gynecology and Obstetrics service and the Pathological Anatomy service to keep the body of the child for a year, and thus be able to give more time to the families.
When families who have lost a child are discharged, due to a stillbirth or abortion, they are offered an email address for direct contact with the Gynecology and Obstetrics service, in case they have any needs during their grief.
"It is a year they have to think and decide what they want to do. Some families return to recover the body for burial. Others want to return to say goodbye. We take care of the entire grieving process, not only when they are in the hospital, but also when they have gone home. If they want to say goodbye again, we facilitate it so that, with a midwife, they can have a meeting in a quiet and intimate space. Each family experiences grief in a specific way and we want to help them during this stage in an individualized and close way.”, explains Dr. Canet.
Since 2021, 43 families have requested to be able to see their child again.
Prenatal visit
The Neonatology Unit has also been offering, for two years, a pre-visit with pregnant women and their partners with critically ill babies to explain what the birth will be like and what can happen once the baby is born. We explain to the families what the process will be like and what can happen. Even the possibility of death.
In addition, Dr. Daniel de Luís, neonatologist at Parc Taulí, and Dr. Jesús Cobo, psychiatrist, have participated in the development of the Department of Health's Guide to Care for Perinatal Grief and Neonatal Death. This is a document that sets the foundation for healthcare professionals to ensure that people affected by perinatal grief receive holistic, quality care.
