Identifying the Educational Needs of Midwives Providing Lactation Support for Women Experiencing Pregnancy Loss from 16 Weeks Gestation

Background: Sadly for some women pregnancy ends in miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. Bereaved mothers should receive the highest standard of care and support which includes information on lactation and choice around management of lactation in order to limit the distress they are already experiencing.

Problem Description: Lactation support is an area midwives often fail to address. Many midwives lack skills and confidence in the provision of lactation support for mothers experiencing pregnancy loss.

Methods: Action research was the chosen method for this project. The action research approach works well for the purpose of this research project as the researcher could collaborate with colleagues who are providing care on the maternity unit for bereaved mothers to identify the issues, explore current knowledge and address the problem identified. The method of data collection chosen was a questionnaire. The sampling method chosen was self-selecting convenience sampling.

Process: 55 questionnaires were distributed and 32 completed questionnaires were returned. Data generated was uploaded on to an excel document and analysed, then transferred onto SSPS in order to generate statistics.

Results: The findings from this study were in keeping with existing literature. The findings suggest that lactation support is an area many midwives do not address with bereaved mothers. It also highlights a need for continuing education and training not only in relation to lactation support but for all aspects of bereavement care for women experiencing pregnancy loss