Application of Caring Theory to Nursing Care of Women Experiencing Stillbirth (original) (raw)

2019, MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing

I n 2013, approximately 24,000 stillbirths occurred in the United States (MacDorman & Gregory, 2015), which equates to over 70 stillbirths a day. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2009) defi nes stillbirth as any fetal death occurring during pregnancy at 20 weeks of gestation or later. Stillbirth is a signifi cant life-altering event that may have intense and enduring adverse psychological and emotional sequelae; not only for mothers and families, but also for their care providers (Bruce, 1962; Cacciatore, 2013). Most research about stillbirth addresses it in conjunction with other types of perinatal loss including miscarriage and neonatal loss; however, the stillbirth experience may involve nuances that distinguish it from other types of loss. These nuances may be specifi c to handling a deceased newborn, caring for a grieving mother while also providing obstetrical care, and simultaneously caring for a mother laboring with a stillbirth and for another laboring with a live birth.