Women's voices reflecting changed expectations for pregnancy after perinatal loss

To describe women's experiences of pregnancy after loss and their long-term effects of perinatal loss.

Phenomenology.

Three focus groups were conducted in fall 1996 with a total of 21 women. These women varied in their obstetrical and loss histories. The time since their losses ranged from 34 years ago to the previous year. Data analysis was guided by Colaizzi's procedural steps.

Women's stories portrayed perinatal loss as a life-altering event. Women did not feel emotionally safe in their pregnancies after loss and were afraid that those babies too would die. Despite the differences in their obstetrical and loss histories and time since loss, similarities in their responses to pregnancy far outweighed their differences. These commonalities contained in six themes: (a) dealing with uncertainty, (b) wondering if the baby is healthy, (c) waiting to lose the baby, (d) holding back their emotions, (e) acknowledging that loss happened and that it can happen again, and (f) changing self.

This study indicated many common concerns and experiences among women in response to perinatal loss and subsequent pregnancies. Variations were not linked to the number or gestational age of the losses. Care providers should acknowledge women's past losses, address their concerns during a current pregnancy, and recognize the potentially life-long effect perinatal loss may have on these women.