Perinatal bereavement

Perinatal bereavement or perinatal grief refers to the emotions of the family following a perinatal death, defined as the demise of a fetus (after 20 weeks gestation) or newborn infant (up to 30 days after birth). Perinatal loss affects one in every ten women across the globe with the worldwide perinatal death rate at approximately 2.7 million deaths per year. Perinatal death is recognized as a traumatic life event as it is often sudden, unexpected, and devastating to parents who have had little to no direct life experiences with their child before their death.

Perinatal bereavement, while sharing similarities with grief for other loved ones, is unique due to its nature as the loss of an idealized future relationship. Parents often experience grief over the loss of their sense of self and role, which can complicate the grieving process. This type of grief may lead to prolonged or severe symptoms, including complicated grief or psychiatric illnesses like depression, making it critical to differentiate between normal and complicated grief.