Death of the Spouse During Pregnancy Giving the Bad News and the Management

Abstract

Pregnancy is a vulnerable time for receiving bad news. Death may occur anytime, and some women will experience this during their pregnancy. In our practice we have seen the dispair of the pregnant women after the unexpected death of the spouse. The pregnant women in most cultures are accepted and treated as more vulnerable individuals. Some believe that the sudden emotional changes may influence the course of the pregnancy. Immediate adverse outcome to a pregnancy after hearing the bad news has not been mentioned on the literature. There seems to be no scientific evidence of doing a pregnancy check up on a normally progressing pregnancy before giving the bad news, as well as no acute measures to be taken to avoid an adverse outcome. We reviewed the unexpected death of the loved one during pregnancy, giving the bad news, understanding the needs and expectations of the pregnant women, and about the ways of professional help to ease the pain

Keywords

• Obstetrics
• Grief
• Antidepressive Agents
• Attitude to Death
• Bereavement
• Hospice Care