Don’t use the ‘silver lining’ theme
A common “don’t” in the hospital and postpartum is the “at least” and “silver lining” theme that is commonly expressed by providers. When I do my teaching sessions with a bereaved parents panel, we always stress that comforting words never begin with “at least.” We say a lot that there is no “silver lining” to a stillbirth. Dr. Brene Brown, in her TED talk on empathy, discussed that an empathic statement never starts with “at least.” However, this response is an all too common experience for women after stillbirth. Here are some examples from the Internet responses:
“‘The silver lining is you and your daughter have taught us so much.’ There is no silver lining, and her life was not for anyone’s easy path to learning lessons. She was wanted and loved.”
“What not to say: From a doctor, ‘You’re going to have lots more children.’ Anything along the lines of ‘at least you can get pregnant/have children’ is not OK.”
“As a teacher, ‘At least you are already a mother to your students.’ (I cannot even tell you how many times I’ve been told this. They already have mothers, and teaching a child 40 minutes once a week is not even close to being a mother to your own child.)”
“I felt it unhelpful for people to tell me how I should feel. I felt comments like ‘oh, you are young you can have another baby’ unhelpful.”
“Do not say, ‘you can have another, it wasn’t God’s plan, God wanted another angel, there is a reason for everything,’ etc.”
“The doctor who told me my baby was dead referred to him as a fetus. I was 38 weeks pregnant and did not refer to my baby as a fetus.”
Handling patient care after the loss
A huge portion of the response I received was regarding care from the practice where they delivered after the loss. These parents provided very important advice for any practice after a patient experiences a loss. Emotional support is vital for these patients. They also made it clear that topics such a medications and counseling should be frequently revisited.
“The care a patient receives after can really change their life – not physical care but emotional care. I truly believe I recovered well, and I am the person I am today because of my provider’s phone calls, suggestions for medications, support groups, and counseling. Don’t underestimate what simple phone calls can do. You don’t have to provide a solution or give advice, just listen.”
“Revisit conversations about medications. I have never taken anything in my entire life. In fact, I was very against it. Don’t be afraid to suggest medications time and time again if you think that it is the right plan. After 6 months, I said ‘yes’ to the medication, and it helped immensely.”
“My OB checking in with me constantly. Doctors offering compassionate and informative advice and encouragement. SUPPORT GROUPS. Star Legacy Foundation mentor!!! Klonopin! Psychologist!!”
“Also, I think it’s important for providers to continue to follow-up with patients even if they don’t seem receptive. Keep checking in. After losing your child you are in a fog. You don’t know quite what you need. But those calls, I promise you they mean something.”