Early farewell - when birth and death are close together
Interdisciplinary care network at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg supports parents who learn of a life-threatening illness of their unborn child during pregnancy / Project receives Prince Franz-Josef von Liechtenstein Prize
When expectant parents learn of a serious illness or malformation of their unborn child that may be incompatible with life, they are deeply unsettled and shaken. To provide them with the best possible support in this difficult phase of their lives, the "Care Network for Women and Couples after Prenatal Diagnosis" project was launched in October 2020 by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. A team of medical specialists, nurses, midwives, psychosocial counsellors and chaplains support patients and their relatives from the time of an abnormal finding through to aftercare. At the end of April, the "Support network for women and couples after prenatal diagnostics" received the Prince Franz-Josef von Liechtenstein Special Prize 2020, endowed with 5,000 Swiss francs. This year's award goes to special achievements in supporting people in the event of the death of their child during pregnancy or around the time of birth.
In contrast to women and couples who have lost their child due to a miscarriage or stillbirth, a complex decision-making process begins for the pregnant woman after the diagnosis of a severe fetal malformation in addition to the grieving process. The parents are usually faced with the choice of continuing the pregnancy and taking the palliative birth route or terminating the pregnancy. "It is particularly important to us to empower parents in their self-determination. We want to enable them to make a well-informed and ethically reflected decision that is in line with their own beliefs and life plans," explains hospital chaplain Silke Winkler. Together with midwife and nursing expert Ina Waterstradt and senior physician Dr. Elke Bäz from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, she is responsible for managing the project.
Among other things, the multi-professional team members are developing a comprehensive counseling concept, strengthening communication between outpatient and inpatient areas and developing documentation that can be viewed jointly. "In this way, the women and couples affected benefit from close medical, psychosocial and pastoral care as well as nursing and midwife support," says Ina Waterstradt.
Contact:
Ina Charlotte Waterstradt
Midwife and nursing expert
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Tel: 0761 270 29400
ina.charlotte.waterstradt@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Silke Winkler
Clinic Chaplain
Catholic Clinic Chaplaincy
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
silke.winkler@uniklinik-freiburg.de
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