“Stranger in a mask” midwives’ experiences of providing perinatal bereavement care to parents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland: A qualitative descriptive study

Objective: To explore the experiences and perceptions of midwives providing perinatal bereavement care during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the barriers and facilitators to providing compassionate bereavement care. Design: A qualitative descriptive design was utilized to address the research question. Following ethical approval, in depth, semi structured interviews were undertaken to explore midwives’ experiences of providing care to parents following perinatal bereavement. Narrative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Setting: A standalone regional maternity hospital located in a large metropolitan center in the Republic of Ireland. Participants: A purposeful sample of eleven midwives, who cared for bereaved parents during the COVID-19 pandemic volunteered to participate in the study. Findings: Two main themes were identified, each with associated subthemes (1) Challenges of providing compassionate bereavement care during a pandemic (2) Psychological effect and coping strategies utilised by midwives during a pandemic. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges when providing perinatal bereavement care. The mandatory infection prevention and control measures significantly disrupted human communication and connections. Participants in the study utilized techniques to optimize care while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines, and simultaneously putting their own fear and anxieties aside.