Caring for the Caregiver

After AJ passed away, we were fortunate to have the support of our family and friends. We were also made aware of many other resources through the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Program at Meriter Hospital. In short, AJ's family had everything we needed to move forward one little step at a time.

But many other people were impacted by the unexpected loss of this little boy. Dozens of medical staff went through this experience with us. We spoke with many of our caregivers while still in the hospital. While they were so busy taking care of us ... who was taking care of them? We wrote about this last September; see our post titled In Honor of AJ.

After returning home from the hospital we reached out to UW-Madison's OB/GYN Residency Program to arrange for an event that would provide education and support to the residents. The Residency Program Director indicated there was, in fact, a need for education and support in this area. To back up her point, she provided us with a copy of a recent study. The study included the results of a national survey of obstetricians and found that:

• 75% of obstetricians reported that caring for a patient (who had experienced a stillbirth or neonatal death) took a large emotional toll on them personally; and
• Nearly 10% of obstetricians reported they had considered giving up obstetric practice as a result of this experience.
  

The study concluded that: "Improved bereavement training may help obstetricians care for grieving families but also cope with their own emotions after this devastating event". A full copy of the article is available here: How Physicians Cope with Stillborn and Neonatal Death.

The OB/GYN Department elected to bring in a speaker -- Dr. Irv Leon, a clinical psychologist and author of a book and over twenty papers on perinatal loss and reproductive issues. Dr. Leon gave two presentations on June 4th at Meriter Hospital in Madison. The first presentation was geared to a broader audience. It was followed by a presentation and informal discussion with the residents. A brief overview of each presentation is included, below.

The first presentation ...
... was geared to a broader audience including faculty, staff, and residents. The title of the presentation was "Understanding and Coping with Reproductive Losses" and it was offered as part of the OB/GYN Department's Grand Rounds. Dr. Leon spoke about how reproductive losses are different than other types of losses. He also provided some practical advice for caregivers regarding what they can do to help. A copy of the handout Dr. Leon provided is available here.

The second presentation ...
... was tailored to the residents and was titled "Caring for the Caregiver". There were about 15 residents, whom Dr. Leon had form a circle so they could share their experiences and engage in an informal discussion. Dr. Zweifel, a clinical psychologist at UW's Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology Clinic, also attended. Dr. Leon began by asking the residents to share their thoughts and feelings in response to a provided scenario. Soon the discussion took on a life of it's own and what was originally scheduled to last an hour easily stretched into an hour and a half. The discussion was incredibly powerful and opened up some important lines of communication!

After the presentation, several of the residents approached me to express their appreciation for the event and the support it offered. I walked away with a renewed sense of respect and appreciation for our doctors and the challenges they face in providing care to their patients and to one another.

Thank you to all of you who made this important event possible!