baby miscarriage stillbirth in maternity unit midwives how to help me

baby miscarriage stillbirth in maternity unit midwives and medical staff this is how you can help me

for many families experiencing a miscarriage or a stillbirth in hospital can be very daunting, not only for the fact other mothers on the maternity unit will be having healthy babies but the way the midwives and other medical staff treat you can have a profound effect in many years to come. here are some comments from mums and dads on how they felt they were treated by the midwives consultants or doctors in hospital and how things could be improved upon.

• post mortem after a stillbirth .... can you make sure the family is told when baby is back from a post-mortem, 2 weeks a family couldn't arrange their baby's funeral because no one told them baby had come back. a year later same thing happened to another  family causing them so much grief .
• termination for a medical condition knowing baby will not be viable at birth .... do not keep pestering the family to abort baby early on if a family express their wishes not to terminate do not keep pestering. it is their decision to  make not the medical staff.
• stillbirth at 25 weeks keep up the good work talk to my baby as if he or she was alive it makes all the difference. but do not say congratulations and I'm sorry in the same breath it makes no sense.
• saying good bye after  a stillbirth ... if possible move us away from crying babies and it was good that any member of my family could come to say good bye and have a final cuddle.
• pains being sick during delivery knowing my baby will be born as a stillbirth.... tell me what to expect I was terrified and please don't say its all over now, it will ring in my ears forever.
• after my stillbirth the midwife said to my baby boy its going to be ok mummy and daddy are very brave and want to spend time with you loving you and cuddling you. that ment a lot.
• miscarriage at 23 weeks ...there needs to be an information pack about losing  a baby at different stages for instance no death certificate for a baby born to a miscarriage at 20 weeks or how you organise a funeral afterwards or someone to come and take hand and footprints for me to keep.
• baby miscarriage ... what support is there afterwards do we just get on with it or are there some charities that can help with counselling ?

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