TY - JOUR
T1 - “The Health Caregivers Did Not Care about Me after the Loss”
T2 - Maternal Experiences of Perinatal Loss in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area, Ghana
AU - Amankwah, Bridget
AU - Ani-Amponsah, Mary
AU - Mahama, Mustapha
AU - Gyepi-Garbrah, Alberta
AU - Richardson, Doris
AU - Mensah, Olivia Nyarko
AU - Acquah, Hannah
AU - Kpikpitse, Dzigbordi
AU - Ofosu-Poku, Rasheed
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - One of the common undesirable outcomes of pregnancy is perinatal loss. Healthcare systems strive to reduce the incidence of perinatal loss but typically little attention is on the experiences of bereaved mothers following perinatal loss, particularly in low and middle-income countries where such deaths are common. This research explored the lived experiences of mothers with perinatal loss in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana. A qualitative design was used to explore the experiences of nine (9) bereaved mothers from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital’s postnatal ward and the Mother and Baby Unit. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured interview guide, audio-recorded, and thematically analyzed. One major finding was that mothers restricted mourning their dead babies based on fear of recurrent perinatal loss and traditional beliefs on delayed return to fertility. Mothers blamed healthcare providers for their loss due to their concerns about care received. Gaps in communication flow from healthcare professionals to bereaved mothers were commonly identified as mothers struggled to make meaning of their loss and coped with cultural restrictions and beliefs. Healthcare professionals must explore mothers’ concerns and “gut-feelings,” and pay attention to their communication needs following perinatal loss.
AB - One of the common undesirable outcomes of pregnancy is perinatal loss. Healthcare systems strive to reduce the incidence of perinatal loss but typically little attention is on the experiences of bereaved mothers following perinatal loss, particularly in low and middle-income countries where such deaths are common. This research explored the lived experiences of mothers with perinatal loss in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana. A qualitative design was used to explore the experiences of nine (9) bereaved mothers from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital’s postnatal ward and the Mother and Baby Unit. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured interview guide, audio-recorded, and thematically analyzed. One major finding was that mothers restricted mourning their dead babies based on fear of recurrent perinatal loss and traditional beliefs on delayed return to fertility. Mothers blamed healthcare providers for their loss due to their concerns about care received. Gaps in communication flow from healthcare professionals to bereaved mothers were commonly identified as mothers struggled to make meaning of their loss and coped with cultural restrictions and beliefs. Healthcare professionals must explore mothers’ concerns and “gut-feelings,” and pay attention to their communication needs following perinatal loss.
KW - Bereaved mothers
KW - intrauterine fetal death
KW - maternal experiences
KW - perinatal loss
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162623463&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15524256.2023.2220078
DO - 10.1080/15524256.2023.2220078
M3 - Article
C2 - 37334816
AN - SCOPUS:85162623463
SN - 1552-4256
VL - 19
SP - 133
EP - 149
JO - Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care
JF - Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care
IS - 2
ER -