“It may Happen Everyday,but It Doesn’t Happen to Me Everyday”: A Phenomenological Understanding of Patients’ and Partners’ Medical Experiences of Perinatal Loss

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate patients’ and partners’ lived experiences of miscarriage and stillbirth from initial pregnancy notification to recovering from pregnancy loss. Semistructured interviews were conducted with two partners and ten patients who had experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death from 11 to 26 weeks gestation. Interpretive phenomenological analysis revealed significant medical themes: technology taking the place of care and connection, a lack of patient knowledge, and a lack of mental health services. Findings offer a new perspective on the role of medical providers and procedures in meaning-making surrounding perinatal loss.

Keywords

phenomenological analysis stillbirth miscarriage medical care bereaved parents

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