Weaving Babies Lost in Pregnancy Into the Fabric of the Family

Abstract

During four qualitative research studies on pregnancy after perinatal loss, parents spoke of their dead babies and various ways they remembered them. Thus, they were a continued part of their lives. A secondary analysis was done of all relevant data and is reported here. The overall finding was that parents weave remembered babies into the fabric of their families in multiple ways. Specifically, the following five themes of ways babies were remembered and incorporated into family life emerged from the data: rituals, symbols, visible presence, holding a place in the family, and lifelong impressions. Clinical implications focus on recognizing the excellent care these families received that enabled them to heal and grow after the death of their babies so that such care can be expanded to other families in need. Parents could be encouraged to find their own ways of honoring their deceased babies.