Abstract

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the coping strategies of families and childbearing women after intrauterine fetal demise and early infant death. The secondary purpose is to examine the effect of grieving strategies after intrauterine fetal demise compared to early infant death on time until subsequent pregnancy in women of childbearing age. A literature review exploring parental grief and coping strategies to cope with loss and its effect on the subsequent pregnancy was conducted from various online databases. All reviewed articles in the analysis indicated that coping strategies consist of a diverse number of mechanisms during the bereavement process. Results show that positive mechanism such as talking about the experience of fetal and infant death was beneficial in the grieving journey and showed a positive correlation to a shorter time to subsequent pregnancy. Identification of strategies to improve mental health in women after fetal demise and early infant death are of value to pregnancy counseling following demise and improving time to conception outcomes after emotional trauma caused by perinatal loss. There is great value in understanding the connection between conception after the early death of an infant and intrauterine fetal demise in helping healthcare providers support family planning goals.

Thesis Completion

2023

Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair/Advisor

D'Amato-Kubiet, Leslee

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.)

College

College of Nursing

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

11-15-2023

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