Peer-reviewed article
Mothers’ experiences of bonding with their subsequent child following a previous perinatal bereavement
Rebecca Hefferman-Clarke, Lynsey Gregg, Lucy Singer, Anja Wittkowski ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This qualitative study interviewed 17 women who had lost a baby around the time of birth and later had another child up to age five. It looked at how the earlier loss affected bonding with the new baby, and what support helped. Mothers described constant worry about losing another baby during pregnancy, and this shaped early bonding. They also worked to make room for both the baby who died and the living baby in their family story. The authors call for trauma-informed, relationship-based support in perinatal services.
Key points
- Seventeen women who had a previous perinatal bereavement and a subsequent child up to age five were interviewed.
- Theme 1, 'Bracing for loss': subsequent pregnancies were accompanied by persistent worry of another loss, and mothers used coping strategies that shaped early bonding.
- Theme 2: mothers rebuilt their family narrative and considered bonding with the new baby alongside the lost baby, with support networks and therapy influencing this.
- Bonding appeared to be dynamic and non-linear, shaped by fear of future loss, self-preservation and integrating identities as mother to both babies.
- Continuing bonds with the lost baby appeared to support grief integration and increase emotional capacity for bonding with the subsequent baby.
Limitations
The abstract does not say which country each participant came from or give details on the sample, and a small qualitative sample cannot show how common these experiences are or measure the effect of any support. It does not evaluate a specific intervention.
Abstract
Introduction Perinatal bereavement can significantly affect a woman’s psychological wellbeing and shape subsequent experiences of pregnancy and motherhood. However, no studies to date have qualitatively explored the impact of different types of perinatal bereavement experiences on bonding with a subsequent baby. Thus, the present study aimed to a) explore the psychological impact a previous perinatal bereavement had on maternal bonding with their subsequent baby (throughout pregnancy and post-birth) and b) identify the psychological and psychosocial support that helped in facilitating this bond. Methods In this qualitative study, women who had experienced a perinatal bereavement and had a subsequent child (up to the age of five) were recruited and interviewed. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results Seventeen women took part. Two main themes, with five subthemes, were developed from their interview data. Theme 1, Bracing for loss , represented how participants’ experiences of subsequent pregnancies were accompanied by a persistent worry of another loss occurring. Theme 1 also explored how participants coped with high levels of worry and how it shaped early experiences of mother-infant bonding. Theme 2, Navigating motherhood after perinatal bereavement with a subsequent baby , captured participants’ experiences of reconstructing their family narrative following the birth of a live baby. Bonding with their subsequent baby was considered in conjunction to the lost baby. This theme also focused on social influences that shaped bonding, such as access to support networks and therapy. Discussion This study was the first to explore mother-infant bonding following different types of previous perinatal bereavement. Mother-infant bonding following perinatal bereavement appeared to be a dynamic and non-linear process, shaped by worries of a potential future loss, self-preservation strategies, and mothers’ efforts to integrate their identities as a mother to both their lost and living baby. Continuing bonds with their lost baby appeared to support grief integration and increase emotional capacity for bonding with their subsequent baby. The findings from the current study emphasise the need for trauma-informed and relational approaches within perinatal services that support both maternal wellbeing and the development of the mother-infant bond.