title: Interconception care for couples after perinatal loss: a comprehensive review of the literature.
abstract: Perinatal loss can be emotionally devastating for couples who experience miscarriage, fetal or neonatal death. Nurses in a variety of settings can assist couples through their grief by providing emotional support, giving information about the grief process, and in planning for a future pregnancy or deciding to forego future childbearing. This article explicates the relationship between grief and perinatal loss and its effects on couples, specifically in the interconception period, when the initial grief and distress have begun to subside. Interconception care focuses on bridging the couple from the end of the postpartum period to the subsequent pregnancy or decision not to conceive again. Nurses assist couples in distinguishing between uncomplicated grief, complicated grief, and depression, and make appropriate referrals. Openness to expressions of grief, helping couples mobilize support, considering readiness for another pregnancy, and directing couples to useful Internet sites are essential nursing interventions.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Parrish
authors.forename: Beth Perry
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D016742:Preconception Care / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult