In today’s issue

🔗 The best links I found this week
📖 Deep dive: Results of survey of 150 nurses - what do you use for IUFD?
🩷 Self-care moment: Fatige check in

Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe here

🔗 My Favorite Finds This Week

📷 Free Professional Stillborn Photography
I’m sure most know about this resource, but if you don’t, make sure you check to see if this service is offered in your area. Local photographers volunteer their services and come to the hospital to take professional photos for families who have experienced loss. (Now I lay Me Down To Sleep)

💧 Neonatal Immersion Photograpy
A lot of nurses do this themselves. Neonatal immersion photography (NIP) delays decomposition and improves skin appearance while making limbs more flexible, creating womb-like imagery that resembles the baby's natural environment. This article shares some helpful stats and shows what’s possible using this technique. (capturinghopesphoto.org)

💧 Immersion photography Basin
This clear plastic basin provides perfect vessel for water immersion photography in hospital setting. Tip: Use small ribbon or umbilical tape to tie off the umbilical cord so the clamp isn’t over powering the photos. prodyne.com

🌸 Bereavement Room Tips
I work with a lot of nurses who tell me they are ramping up their bereavement program and want to create a dedicated bereavement room. In this article, I share a few quick and easy tips to get you started. (Forget Me Not)

🫶 Hand and foot mold casting kit
Use this kit on amazon to create 3d hand and foot molds. (Amazon)

📖 Deep Dive

Supporting IUFD Families: What The Research Actually Tells Us

Recently, I surveyed 150 nurses across different facilities about resources they use to support families experiencing intrauterine fetal demise. While our chart shows what's happening in practice, I found myself wondering: what does research actually tell us about what works? Are we doing what helps families most? Here's what I discovered when I dove into the literature.

The Truth About Memory-Making: What The Evidence Shows

Let's be honest – creating keepsakes after loss isn't just something nice we do to fill time. The research confirms what many of us intuitively know: these tangible connections matter profoundly for families' grief journeys.

Mementos as Grief Anchors

A systematic review in BMJ Open examined the relationship between contact with the baby following stillbirth and parental mental health outcomes. Their findings? Parents who received mementos and photographs overwhelmingly reported these as anchors in their grief process. But here's the kicker – how these mementos were created and presented dramatically influenced their impact (Hennegan et al., 2015).

Another study discovered major benefits when parents are offered professional bereavement photography. The study showed that it significantly aids families' grieving process by providing lasting, dignified images of their child.

The Power of Photography: Preventing Regret

When it comes to photographs, the research reveals something that might change your practice. Studies found that parents who initially said "no" to photographs often deeply regretted this decision later. Blood and Cacciatore (2014) describe post-mortem photography as "a crucial validation of the child's existence and the parental relationship." Think about that – not just a nice memento, but validation that their child existed. That their parenthood was real.

Your Approach Matters: Confidence Creates Comfort

Perhaps most eye-opening is what Kingdon et al. (2015) uncovered about our role as healthcare providers. Their research revealed that how we present these memory-making options dramatically influences both parents' decisions and their later feelings about the experience. When we approach these opportunities with confidence, presenting them as a natural part of care rather than with hesitation, parents were more likely not only to participate but to later report positive associations with the process.

🩷 Self-care moment

Have you found yourself thinking about patient losses outside of work?

Working with families experiencing pregnancy loss can take an emotional toll. Research shows that nurses who regularly support bereaved families are at higher risk for compassion fatigue, with one study finding that 36% of labor and delivery nurses reported moderate to high levels of secondary traumatic stress. Today, I invite you to perform a quick self-assessment:

• Have you found yourself thinking about patient losses outside of work?

• Do you sometimes feel emotionally numb when supporting bereaved families?

• Have you noticed changes in your sleep patterns after difficult cases?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider scheduling a debriefing session with colleagues who understand this unique challenge. Remember that caring for yourself is not selfish—it's necessary to sustain your ability to provide compassionate care.

Source: Beck, C. T., & Gable, R. K. (2012). A mixed methods study of secondary traumatic stress in labor and delivery nurses. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 41(6), 747-760.

👎 I didn’t learn anything new

👍 Good information

💯 Very valuable