The existence of the deceased children in the grieving process of mothers who have experienced stillbirth
2009 Volume 23 Issue 1 Pages 59-71
Details
2009 Volume 23 Issue 1 Pages 59-71
Objective
To describe the mothers' stories following the stillbirth, especially the meaning of the existence of the deceased children for them in their grieving process.
Methods
A descriptive, exploratory qualitative study was used. Unstructured interviews were conducted 2 or 3 times for each participant. Tape-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed qualitatively and inductively. Data analysis started from description of each mother's experience. Then, common themes were found relating to the mother's feelings about the deceased child. Finally, structured descriptions of the mothers' stories were derived from the data.
Participants
Five mothers who have experienced stillbirth and have participated in self-help groups for bereaved parents.
Results
In the early grieving stage, the theme of "existence of anguish" emerged. The theme of anguish had 5 components 'my lovable child', 'my child is dead', 'child whose life could have been saved', 'child disregarded by society', and 'invisible child'. In the later grieving stage, the theme emerged where mothers incorporated the children into their life and that they would "exist together" and remain connected over time. The emerged components to this theme are as follows: 'existence of the deceased child in the storytelling which cultivates identity as a mother', 'giving the deceased child a comfortable place', and 'existence of the deceased child who encourages the mother's personal growth'.
Conclusion
In the beginning of the grieving process, mothers suffered strong anguish from the deceased children such as regret, self-blame, getting hurt, and emptiness. However, it was found that the bereaved mothers described positive change by incorporating the deceased children into their life through storytelling and mementos as time goes on. The positive change means personal growth. In this process, mothers always faced the existence of the deceased children, even though they didn't have any time with their visible living children due to stillbirth.
