ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the multiple loss world of the family who has a pre-term baby on a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or a Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). One such variable may be the individual's family emotional culture; this can be illustrated by the consideration of the 'family death' culture. The dreams of the perfect birth never considered that anything would go wrong and certainly did not contain the prospect of a birth just over halfway through the pregnancy. Being in control is an important feature for most people's existence. The important moment of post-birth bonding and attachment has been detrimentally effected. The lack of early pre-term bonding is a serious loss which not only affects the moments in the NICU but has the potential to affect the long-term relationship between mother and child. The birth of a stillborn baby ranks as one of the top stressors for parents.
