Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026
Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
Exploring perinatal death with midwifery students' using a collaborative art project
Maebh Barry1, Cathy Quinn2, Carmel Bradshaw1
1Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Objective:
To explore the influence of the Amulet artwork and exhibition on midwifery students' perceptions of caring for parents experiencing perinatal death.
Design:
A descriptive qualitative design involving face-to-face semi-structured interviews following institutional ethical approval.
Setting:
A regional Maternity Hospital in Ireland which hosted the National Artwork and Exhibition exploring the hidden world of infant death.
Participants:
A purposive sample of six consenting post registration midwifery students who had attended the Amulet artwork and exhibition.
Findings:
Four core themes emerged and these were i) entering the mother's world and hearing her pain; ii) the journey of grief and connecting with the bereaved parent's unique experience; iii) facing the challenge of providing effective perinatal bereavement care; and iv) maintaining a journey of compassionate practice.
Conclusion And Implications For Practice:
Exposure to, and reflection on the Amulet artwork and exhibition increased students' awareness and insight into the non-linear nature of the grieving process, and to the importance of maintaining a journey of compassionate care for parents experiencing perinatal death. The findings suggest that the use of creative women-centered strategies promote affective learning in relation to perinatal death and so may be of use to educators and maternity care providers.
