Pregnancy after stillbirth : women’s lived experiences

Abstract

Experiencing a stillbirth is a profoundly traumatic event that can have lasting emotional and psychological effects. For many women, the decision to conceive again is accompanied by a complex interplay of hope, fear, and anxiety. This study aims to qualitatively explore women’s lived experiences of pregnancy after having had a stillbirth. The main objectives of this study are to elicit and understand the coping mechanisms used by women who experienced pregnancy after stillbirth and to explore any challenges, fears and concerns associated with subsequent pregnancy after stillbirth. One-to-one, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with a purposive sample of six women who experienced pregnancy after having had a previous stillbirth. Participants will be recruited via an intermediary from the Bereavement Clinic at a main state hospital. An information letter will be provided to each interested participant, and informed consent will be gained by the researcher before the commencement of the interview. The interview guide has been self-designed and will last about an hour, occurring in either English or Maltese. The interviews will be audio-recorded with the participant’s consent for transcription purposes. Ethical considerations will be taken into account, and ethical approval will be sought before actual data collection. The generated data will be analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke's (2022) six-step model. It is hoped that the findings of this study will help shed light on the experiences of pregnancy after stillbirth in an attempt to offer better services and outcomes for these women in the future. Recommendations for practice, policy and education will be put forward.