THE DEATH OF A NEWBORN TWIN

Abstract

The perinatal death of one twin may be as great a loss to the mother as that of a single baby. This is rarely appreciated. The experiences and needs of a sample of 14 bereaved mothers of multiple births (12 twin, 2 triplet) obtained through the Twins and Multiple Births Association, were explored by semi-structured questionnaires. Results - All mothers perceived the survivor as a twin. 6 had feelings of rejection towards this child initially. Others overprotected and continued to have unjustified anxiety. The initial difficulties of simultaneously celebrating a birth and mourning a death were revived at anniversaries. All mothers had wanted to talk about the dead baby but many had been discouraged and made to feel guilty about their grief. Suppression of grief sometimes led to unresolved mourning. Some felt they had been given inadequate information and all wanted to know the twins’ zygosity. The fear of a fantasy twin was expressed by some who had no tangible reminders. Suggestions for future professional practice - Acknowledgement of the importance of the dead baby. Encouragement of mother to talk about him. Provision of counselling facilities. Provision of ultrasound scan to reduce fear of fantasy twin; of photographs of babies including, with liveborns, of both together, of zygosity determination.