ABSTRACT
Neonatal nurses supporting parents should continue to provide the usual bereavement support while acknowledging the conflicting emotions of both joy and grief parents will be experiencing. Neonatal nurses may come across parents wondering if the loss of their baby – especially if it is their only child – means that they are no longer considered parents in the eyes of society. This chapter aims to identify the unique impact of grief in relation to neonatal death. The individual needs of families who experience the death of a baby will be considered, and best practice matters discussed. Perinatal loss needs to be recognised as a unique type of bereavement in which parents often experience an intense response that will cause changes in several domains of their lives, including emotional, physical, financial, spiritual and social aspects. Terms such as grief, mourning and bereavement are often used interchangeably, but an understand.
