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Introduction
The impact on parents of the death of a child is profound and with consequences that may last a lifetime. The effect of losing a pregnancy or baby depends on a number of variables including: how the loss is perceived, the social support available, gender identity of the parent, whether parents are in a stable relationship or parenting alone, mother’s mental health prior to the loss and their culture and religion (Cacciatore, 2010; Burden et al., 2016). When parents have an existing child they may struggle to meet the child’s needs while coping with their own grief. This paper explores the impact of pregnancy or baby loss through a review of literature, together with findings from an unpublished 2015 voluntary survey by Home-Start, a UK-wide voluntary organisation supporting families with young children. The survey revealed over 65 per cent of responding local Home-Starts were supporting families who had experienced miscarriage or perinatal mortality, the impact of which was often unrecognised at the point of referral. This suggests a hidden group of families whose mental health and wellbeing may be at risk without the provision of services. The findings reinforce previous studies, which call for improvements in bereavement services in relation to pregnancy or baby loss, specifically for those who grieve alongside parenting.
The paper is set within the context of growing recognition of the impact of pregnancy and baby loss. Baby Loss Awareness Week 2017 and a UK Government debate called for greater resources to support those affected (House of Commons Hansard, 2017).
Pregnancy or baby loss
Pregnancy or baby loss refers to both early and late miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. Sadly, this is a relatively common occurrence. In the UK between 10 and 20 per cent of pregnancies end in miscarriage (Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, 2012), and although perinatal mortality is rare, it accounted for 5.64 deaths per 1,000 total births in 2016 (MBRRACE-UK, 2018).
Women living in poverty are at most risk (MBRRACE-UK, 2018). Other risk factors include: age, obesity, and mothers born outside the UK – the rate doubled for babies of black or Asian ethnicity (MBRRACE-UK, 2017, 2018). These variations may result from the link between lower socio-economic status and mother’s country of birth (Office for...