Creating and maintaining compassionate relationships with bereaved parents after perinatal death

Abstract

Compassionate relational care has the potential to nurture bereaved parents in a meaningful way and positively shape their grieving journey, as well as being fulfilling for midwives who offer such quality care. Enabling a quality relationship to develop with bereaved parents ensures a safe relational space is created, where parents can experience an emotional connection with their midwife when they most need it. The quality of this unique relationship created by the midwife and experienced by the parents will forever become part of their deceased baby's narrative and will continue to influence, either positively or negatively, their onward grieving journey.