The silent cry: A psychiatric-mental health nurse's guide for fathers experiencing perinatal loss.

Abstract

IntroductionThe effects of grief on fathers that have experienced perinatal loss merit further exploration.AimThe purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the experience of grief felt by fathers when facing perinatal loss. A father's grief and loss are frequently unrecognized and underappreciated by healthcare professionals who customarily attend only to the needs of mothers.ResultsData for this study were based on a couple's lived experience. This is a co‐authored piece by a husband and wife. This literature suggests that the lack of resources for fathers might result in unresolved grief which if prolonged could be expressed in potential losses during subsequent pregnancies.Implications for PracticeContent from a review of the literature provides evidence helpful in addressing the recognition and management of grief in fathers experiencing perinatal losses. The grief and any related trauma due to prenatal losses can be managed in fathers with different methods, including support services, counselling, and if needed psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Psychiatric‐mental health nurses can play an important role in the recognition and management of grief and planning interventions to support grieving fathers.