A perinatal hospice for an unborn child with a life-limiting condition

Joan Ramer-Chrastek1, Megan V Thygeson

  • 1Hospice and Palliative Care Services, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, 2525 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55404, USA. jody.chrastek@childrenshc.org

Perinatal hospice is a newly developing model of hospice care, offered to the family in the prenatal period, which provides support, guidance and comfort to families who make the difficult choice to continue a pregnancy after the diagnosis of a fatal fetal anomaly. The model is based on the hospice philosophy of living life fully and enjoying each moment. This article describes a perinatal hospice programme that is currently in place at a hospice home care programme of a children's hospital in the USA. It includes a case example of one family's experience of this programme.

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