ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2022
"Your heart keeps bleeding": lived experiences of parents with a perinatal death in Northern Uganda.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Phenomenological research in the field of Infant Mental Health and Early Childhood (IECMH) -A mapping review.Infant mental health journal · 2026Pooled it
- Parents', Families', Communities' and Healthcare Professionals' Experiences of Care Following Neonatal Death in Healthcare Facilities in LMICs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Ethnography.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Pooled it
- Experiences and needs of family members of perinatal infant deaths: a meta-synthesis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Lived experiences and coping mechanisms of parents following stillbirth and immediate postnatal death: an interpretative phenomenological study from a North Indian setting.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- "I have to be strong": A qualitative study of parental bereavement experiences in Uganda following the death of their baby.Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives · 2025Article
- Maternal Perception of Pregnancy Loss: Protocol for a Thematic Synthesis.International journal of women's health · 2024Article
- Women's experiences of care after stillbirth and obstetric fistula: A phenomenological study in Kenya.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2023Article
- Perinatal palliative care in sub-Saharan Africa: recommendations for practice, future research, and guideline development.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Review
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWorldwide, two million babies are stillborn and 1.8 million babies die before completing seven days of life. Approximately 4% of pregnant women in Uganda experience perinatal death. The response following a perinatal death tends to be socio-culturally constructed. Investigating the unique personal experiences of parents from a low-income setting with unique cultural beliefs and practices is crucial for the design and implementation of appropriate interventions.
objectiveTo describe the lived experiences of parents following perinatal death in Lira district, Northern Uganda.
methodsA qualitative study was carried out drawing on the tenets of descriptive phenomenology. We conducted 32 in-depth interviews in Lira district, Northern Uganda between August 2019 and September 2020 with 18 women and 14 men who had experienced a stillbirth or an early neonatal death within the preceding 2 years. Participants were selected from different families and interviewed. A local IRB approved the study. All in-depth interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated, and data were analysed using a content thematic approach. Key findings were discussed based on Worden's Four Tasks of Mourning theory.
resultsThe themes that emerged from the analyses included reaction to the perinatal loss and suggestions for support. The participants' immediate reactions were pain, confusion, and feelings of guilt which were aggravated by the unsupportive behaviour of health care providers. Men cumulatively lost financial resources in addition to facing multiple stressful roles. Delayed reactions such as pain and worries were triggered by the sight of similar-age-babies, subsequent pregnancy losses, and marital challenges. Participants recommended emotional support and management of postnatal complications for parents faced with perinatal loss.
conclusionLosing a baby during the perinatal period in a resource-constrained setting negatively affected both gender. In addition, men suffered the loss of financial resources and the burden of multiple stressful roles. Acknowledging the pain and offering support to the grieving parents reinforce their coping with a perinatal loss. In addition to family and community members, health care providers need to provide emotional support and postnatal care to parents who experience perinatal death.
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