Mothers' experiences of the time after the diagnosis of an intrauterine death until the induction of the delivery: a qualitative Internet-based study.

AIM

This study aims to describe how mothers spend the period of time between being diagnosed with a dead baby in utero and the induction of the delivery.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data were collected using a web questionnaire. Five hundred and fifteen women who had experienced a stillbirth after the 22nd week of gestation answered the open question: 'What did you do between the diagnosis of the child's death and the beginning of the delivery?' A qualitative content analysis method was used.

RESULTS

The results show that some mothers received help to adapt to the situation, while for others, waiting for the induction meant further stress and additional psychological trauma in an already strained situation.

CONCLUSION

There is no reason to wait with the induction unless the parents themselves express a wish to the contrary. Health care professionals, together with the parents, should try to determine the best time for the induction of the birth after the baby's death in utero. That time may vary, depending on the parents' preferences.