The role of a self-help group in working with parents of a stillborn baby

Abstract

A stillborn baby represents a unique loss because parents must mourn fantasies of an anticipated newborn rather than memories of a shared experience. A self-help group can facilitate parents' mourning process following a stillbirth. With family-to-family contact and group discussions, the reality of the stillbirth is validated, the empty feelings of the loss the parents are experiencing are acknowledged, and the guilt the couples are feeling is eased. Reports from parents indicate that restoration of hope for the future and improved marital communication are the most beneficial aspects of their participation in the group. The phases of mourning described by Bowlby and Parkes have been observed in the group studied here as over time the parents resolved their loss and reoriented their lives.