An Unrecognizable Pain: Neonatal Loss and The Needs of Fathers

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Gláucia Maria Moreira Galvão
Denise Streit Morsch
Eduardo Carlos Tavares
Maria Candida Ferrarez Bouzada
Steven Eric Byrd

Abstract

Objective: Verify the mourning and paternal suffering in the context of perinatal death, through interviews with the mothers that suffered a gestational loss.


Methods: This study has a qualitative, longitudinal, and prospective research realized through two semi-structured interviews with parents who lost children with less than 22 weeks of gestation at the high-risk maternity ward at a public hospital, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from February-October 2019. In the interviews, a vital trait was paternal suffering, as evidenced by the mother's speech. This matter brought the authors attention.


Results: The interviews in this study show evidence that men need to be tended regarding the time of neonatal loss. The women’s interviews expressed the suffering of their companions and demonstrated how they wished to share their pain with them during their period of mourning. The mothers provide evidence that they feel the need of their partners during gestational loss.


Conclusions: Paternal suffering following neonatal loss is often ignored and forgotten about. Further research and directives of support, including supporting neonatal loss as part of the healthcare system, and meaningful steps to ensure quality treatment, are essential for making progress in this overlooked area.

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How to Cite
Galvão, G. M. M., Morsch, D. S. ., Tavares, . E. C. ., Bouzada, M. C. F. ., & Byrd, S. E. . (2020). An Unrecognizable Pain: Neonatal Loss and The Needs of Fathers. American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 2(3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.46545/aijhass.v2i3.236
Section
Original Articles/Review Articles/Case Reports/Short Communications
Author Biographies

Gláucia Maria Moreira Galvão, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

School of Medicine

Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Denise Streit Morsch, Ministry of Health, Brazil

Clinical Psychologist, Consultant for Humanized Care for the Newborn

Kangaroo Method, Ministry of Health, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Eduardo Carlos Tavares, Medicine Department of PUC-Minas, Brazil

Medicine Department of PUC-Minas, Betim, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Maria Candida Ferrarez Bouzada, Federal University of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine

Federal University of the State of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Steven Eric Byrd,  University of New England, USA

Department of Society, Culture, and Languages

University of New England, Biddeford/Portland, Maine, USA

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