Abstract

Stillbirth has a devastating impact. It is important to understand parents’ views of care received after stillbirth, and how it influences later pregnancies. We spoke with parents of stillborn babies to understand how they thought about, and planned, a future pregnancy in the weeks following stillbirth. We invited 10 couples (20 people) to speak with us: of these, 15 agreed (ten female, five male) and all were Irish. What they told us can be described under two main themes: hopes for future pregnancy, and expectations of future care. Parents spoke about how they were afraid of getting pregnant again and losing another baby. Parents had different views in the days following stillbirth - mothers wished to plan a future pregnancy, while fathers were reluctant to consider any pregnancies. Parents were unsure of what to expect in terms of the level of care that would be provided to them in a future pregnancy. Additional appointments at the maternity hospital were considered crucial to provide reassurance during a subsequent pregnancy.