PARENTS' EXPERIENCE OF BABY LOSS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
conference contribution
posted on 2025-07-02, 23:18authored byRobin Cronin, Billie Bradford, Tosin PopoolaTosin Popoola, Sergio Silverio
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in rapid and unparalleled changes to the provision of health care globally. New Zealand (NZ) experienced a lower rate of COVID-19 deaths compared with other high-income countries, related to the swift reaction to close borders and implement strict lockdowns, known colloquially as the ‘go hard, go early' response. Healthcare workers reduced non-essential contact implemented social-physical distancing and wore personal protective equipment. This influenced the delivery of maternity care and perinatal bereavement support. There is limited information of the impact of the pandemic on parents bereaved by perinatal loss, and none in the NZ context. Our aim is to explore the experiences of NZ parents bereaved by late miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method: Semi-structured interviews with bereaved parents via video-call technology analysed using qualitative Framework Analysis.
Results: We interviewed 26 bereaved parents. Their losses comprised 15 stillbirths, 4 late-miscarriages, 1 neonatal death. Four key themes were identified, (1) Distant and impersonal care, (2) Exclusion of partners, (3) Negotiating hospital rules, and (4) Hindered access to social & cultural support.
Conclusion: This study adds important insights into perinatal bereavement care in NZ during the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted negatively on parents' already difficult experience of baby loss. The degree of impact was related to periods of greater restriction and institutional responses to the pandemic. The unique context of NZ's model of maternity care, with a known maternity provider and culturally responsive care mitigated some of the difficulties imposed by the pandemic.
History
Name of conference
Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) 2023 Annual Congress “Laneways to Better Perinatal Outcomes”,