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A RESEARCH STUDY into bereavement training of healthcare chaplains who care for parents following the death of a baby finds that the training of chaplains in Ireland is “diverse”.
The study, carried out by Mr Daniel Nuzum and Dr Keelin O’Donoghue based in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University College Cork Maternity Hospital finds that the “lack of specialised training and education in perinatal bereavement is an area that should be addressed and supported as a matter of urgency”.
Stillborn
One in every 200 babies is stillborn in Ireland every year, with the report citing that the care provided to families following the death of a baby influences their grief journey and plays a key part in their overall recovery.
The study involved 85 per cent of maternity hospitals in Ireland. Over 20 chaplains from 17 units participated in the study.
Over 60 per cent of chaplains are formally accredited chaplains, but the study found that only one has received specialist training in perinatal bereavement care.
Eleven chaplains provide follow-up bereavement care, while seven chaplains saying they did not feel part of the multidisciplinary team.
The provision of spiritual care following stillbirth in Ireland is diverse, stated the report, citing that the spiritual care in this “specialised area” by chaplains who are not professionally trained and accredited potentially impacts on the quality and depth of care.
Faith and guidance
The report makes recommendations for ongoing education and greater support for chaplains, who say that there own faith is challenged when providing care.
Healthcare chaplains are the professional providers of spiritual and pastoral care working alongside other healthcare disciplines, accompanying families during a difficult time.
Historically, most chaplains in Ireland were ordained or from a religious order.
However, chaplaincy has evolved in recent decades to include the employment of qualified lay people. The study shows that of those that took part in the study, just 30 per cent are lay people. Of the 70 per cent that are ordained, 85 per cent are Roman Catholic and 15 per cent are Anglican.
The reports raised the issue that eight chaplains (40%) are not formally accredited as healthcare chaplains, stating that this is concerning in respect of the professional approach and importance of spiritual care needed for this “complex area”.
The accreditation of healthcare chaplains is recommended practice so that those who are appointed have received appropriate formation, supervised education and learning.
The report finds that “the diagnosis that a baby will not survive or has already died in utero brings with it a bewildering array of emotional distress where birth and death collide with life-long impact for the parents. How parents are cared for during this delicate time can have long-lasting consequences, both positive and negative”.
Lived experience
The objective of the study was to research the lived experience of healthcare chaplains working in maternity hospitals as they provide spiritual and pastoral care for parents who have been given the news that their baby has died.
The impact of caring for bereaved parents was considerable, with every chaplain in the research report speaking emotionally about the impact of death on them personally and professionally.
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Myself and my partner suffered a stillbirth over 2 years ago in a Dublin Maternity Hospital. We received amazing care and support from the bereavement midwife, chaplains (of which there were 2) and all the staff – even down to the security guards. It’s terrible that there are such different stories from different people. All bereaved parents should receive all the support and help they need at this devastating, life changing and heart breaking time.
Im really sorry this happen to you. I would like to send you a big hug and wish you the best from the bottom of my heart
And what if after such a tragedy you don’t want ‘spiritual’ care but real world psychiatric care? Where is that provided? My wife and I went through a similar experience and after the D&C we received zero help, advice or care. If this is the frontline aftercare solution that maternity hospitals are focused on, we truly have not emerged from the dark ages.
That’s horrible. The difference is, thought, that at least you can buy psychiatric care though (if you can afford it). Unfortunately you can’t buy the spiritual kind as it’s in the hands of a single giant organisation that claims a monopoly on spirituality and wants to control institutions regardless of whether or not it’s in a position to provide adqeuate services.
*though
Vectorsector.. Thats awfully sad..
We thought we were losing our baby a few years ago.. I got examined in emergency room and they sent us down to the ultra sound room to get scanned with our file. We had to join the queue like everyone else. There was blood running down my legs. I had to queue for an hour. There were women i knew in that room who went before me and came out of their scan beaming with pride and happiness and clutching their photo. I kept my head down as the tears wouldnt stop. I asked the receptionist if i could jump the queue… “No, its not fair on the others” …
Our turn came to get scanned and the girl says “ya your right, its gone”..
Had to join a queue to meet the doctor again to show results of the scan when all i wanted to do was go home. She removed the remaining “products of conception” as she called it.
A few weeks later i got a letter from the hospital to come in for my scan to see how my pregnancy was progressing..
I have heard stories about women who have had stillbirths being shoved into crowded wards with mothers and newborns. For Gods sake the staff cant be that stupid as to think this is ok. The last image you need to see after a miscarriage or a stillbirth is a happy mammy holding her baby.. Its not sour grapes, its just too raw, painful..
Miscarriage/Stillbirth may be a thing that “just happens”.. But its life changing to the couple involved.. Please take better care. Thank you..
That was a horrific experience for you to go through.
Loss of a baby is so unfair. Such a difficult time for parents. The pain of grief really needs to be treated with great tenderness and care.
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I lost a baby last year in Holles street and all the staff were amazing. The nurses, doctors, midwives, catering staff and the chaplain. I felt they had all been trained in how to handle patients suffering a loss and having had a miscarriage in the Rotunda years before and being offered zero sympathy whatsoever it really does make a huge difference to the healing process. For me the support in Holles street was psychiatric care as it was what I needed more than anything.
There is a foundation which is set up to support parents and families who have been affected by stillbirth -A little lifetime Foundation (ISANDS). They are a fantastic organisation who provide support, advice or a listening ear. http://www.isands.ie
Feileacain provides support to anyone affected by the death of a baby through stillbirth or neonatal death. They also provide memory boxes to hospitals. http://Www.feileacain.ie. 0852496464 or via Facebook and Twitter.
10 years now we lost our boy ,it was after care left us down the chaplain had no word’s for us,
I can hope that it has improved.
Why Chaplains? why aren’t their counselors?
I found the Chaplains and all the staff, in Holles St to be brilliant. After my last miscarriage, i had to go into hospital and i was very well looked after by everyone i met. If i go on to have children or get pregnant again, i wont be going anywhere else.
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