Holistic Comfort and Bereavement of Families Receiving Prenatal Hospice Support During the Loss of an Unborn Child with Lethal Anomalies

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the grieving process and coping mechanism of families that was faced with the impeding loss of their unborn child. Grief is a very lonely process. The aim of this research is to examine how parents cope with the lost of an unborn child with the aid of perinatal hospices. Giving families a broader range of options in regards to continuing their pregnancy. Each family has a right to choice what option is right for them. Choices should be in the hands of the family in regards to continuing with their pregnancy or termination. The research was guided by Dr. Katharine Kolcaba, Comfort Theory and Practice, using comfort to guide care at the end of life choices. The study was comprised of a convenience sample of nine women that used perinatal hospice. Data was collected through the use of Holistic Comfort Questionnaire, Comfort with End Life Planning, (Kolcaba, 1991) and Core Beareavement Item (Burnett, 2001).