Womens’ experience of livebirth after stillbirth

Women who experience pregnancy subsequent to stillbirth have a powerful history that changes their life and future childbearing. Over the last decade, women who have experienced livebirth after stillbirth have begun to describe an emotionally laden, high anxiety period in their lives. The purpose of this study is to further understand the physical and psychological experience of livebirth following a stillbirth by listening to women's narratives of their experience through the continuum of the pregnancy, labour, birth, and postpartum periods. The goal of the research is to provide insights that could assist in improving health care to this vulnerable subset of women. Using an interpretive description design, 14 women were interviewed who had a history of stillbirth and who had subsequently delivered a healthy baby or were currently pregnant with a healthy fetus. Findings that were generated from a constant comparative analysis of the data supported the findings of other authors in regards to a pregnancy experience that is fraught with anxiety, fear, and depression. In addition, women's experience of labour and birth may include such psychological or emotional phenomena as flashbacks, numbness, or dissociation during labour and birth. The women's need for reassurance, control, and choice during the continuum of the subsequent pregnancy was a strong emerging theme throughout the findings of this study. Additional themes included a powerful urgency to get pregnant again, a need for the history of stillbirth to be known by health care providers, recognition that psychological and emotional work in the postpartum period overrides physical discomfort, and the importance of the sex of the baby. An interpretation of these women's accounts allows us to challenge some current beliefs and practices, such as the preferred mode of delivery for both the stillbirth and the subsequent livebirth. In addition, the women's diverse experiences of interactions with the health care system and the health care professionals within it reflected patterns and themes within both positive and negative interactions. This study provides a context within which health care providers can examine and improve their practice regarding care for women experiencing livebirth after stillbirth.Applied Science, Faculty ofNursing, School ofGraduat