Perinatal Loss: Experiences of Midwives and Nurses

Abstract

The aim was to determine the experiences of Turkish midwives and nurses when caring for families with perinatal loss. It was a descriptive and qualitative study. One-to-one interviews were conducted with ten midwives and five nurses using a semi-structured interview form. It was found that the nurses and midwives experienced pain and grief during caring for women who had perinatal losses, and they tried to relieve these feelings by using positive thinking and prayer. The nurses and midwives stated that they were unsure how to approach women or family experiencing perinatal loss, and they needed mentoring and training. The results showed that it would be beneficial to plan training for nurses and midwives and to conduct mentoring for those experiencing difficulties. For nurses and midwives frequently facing perinatal loss, there will be benefit in planning grief care training at regular intervals and mentoring for those experiencing difficulties.