Overview
To support ob-gyns, midwives, nurses, and other health care professionals in providing compassionate, patient-centered care at every stage of a stillbirth experience, ACOG has published a toolkit titled Supporting Patients Through Stillbirth Care. This resource offers expert and ACOG-supported best practices, communication guidance, and bereavement support strategies that can be adapted across clinical settings. In addition to patient needs, this resource seeks to help health care professionals to recognize their own emotional needs and find support to sustain compassionate care.
Conversations at Points of Care
This toolkit includes a variety of materials designed to support you and your patients following a stillbirth, from the diagnosis to the postpartum period to discussions around subsequent pregnancies. Inside, you will find clinical guidance, sample scripts, and best practices for caring for patients who have experienced stillbirth. In addition to these resources, you will also find information on emotional support, practical advice, lactation decisions, and remembrance options. While this toolkit provides a breadth of options and pathways for treatment, there is no standard approach for patients, and each should receive personalized and compassionate care tailored to their unique needs and circumstances.
Points of Care Covered
- Diagnosis
- Peripartum Stage
- Initial Postpartum Stage and During Hospital Discharge
- First Six Weeks Postpartum
- First Six Months Postpartum
- Subsequent Pregnancies
The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) thanks the following contributors for their expertise and thoughtful review in the development of this resource:
Michael A. Belmonte, MD, FACOG, Penn State Health Obstetrics and Gynecology
Sarah Copple, MSN, RNC-MNN, C-ONQS, Association of Women's Health, Obstetric & Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
Angela Daniel, MSSW, CD(DONA), CLC, ICCE, Doula Friendly Initiative
Erica Freeman, MA-MCHS, CD, Sisters in Loss
Melissa Cole, MS, IBCLC, PMH-C, Luna Lactation & Wellness
This Resource was supported by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a part of a financial assistance award totaling $400,000 with 100 percent funded by ACOG and CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.