Lived Experiences of Women Following a Stillbirth Delivery in Mityana Hospital

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a stillbirth as a baby born with no signs of life at or after 28 weeks' gestation. In high income countries, it is evident that a new-born will survive after 25 weeks’ gestation, compared to 28-32 weeks’ gestation in low resource countries. The global stillbirth rate is estimated to be 13.9 still births per 1000 total births. In Africa, the still birth rate is 10 times that of the developed countries, indicating 29 births Vs 3 per 1000 live births. This paper recounts women’s experiences following the delivery of a Stillbirth. Materials and Methods : The study used a Phenomenological study design to describe the essence of the women’s experiences following the delivery of a Stillbirth. The study focused on 16 women aged 17-35, who had experienced stillbirths both macerated and fresh, these were the primary sources of information for the study. The in-depth interviews held with participants revealed that the stillbirth Phenomenon has a major negative impact on the reproductive health lives of women and the magnitude of grief and the associated mysteries surrounding stillbirth make the whole experience unbearable. The paper looks at the short and long term experiences of birthing a silent baby and the different strategies used by women to cope with the experience. Findings: The Stillbirth Phenomenon has a major negative impact on the reproduction lives of women. The magnitude of grief and the associated mysteries surrounding stillbirth make the whole experience unbearable. Women experience untold grief from the loss, coping with the sad memory of loss for all their life and at time with little or no support. Conclusion: Although they always come up with self-coping mechanisms, there is a need to provide psychological and social support to these mothers who have experienced a still birth. The findings from this study show the physical, social and psychological challenges women endure during the occurrence of the stillbirth phenomenon. These findings can be used to inform efforts aimed at providing support to women who fall victim of stillbirth so as to make the experience less painful. The findings will also pave way for more research on experiences of women following Stillbirths events and other silent tragedies impacting maternal health in the country and the world at large. Keywords: Stillbirth, Experiences, Grief, bereavement, Care and Support, Coping, phenomenology DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/92-04 Publication date: August 31 st 2021