The initiative arose from the realization that fetal death constitutes an experience of high emotional impact for the woman, the couple, and the family, also representing a particularly demanding challenge for the healthcare professionals involved in providing care.
The meeting was marked by the sharing of experiences, sensitivity in addressing the topic, and the desire to do more and better for those who experience gestational loss.
According to the organizers, the webinar reinforced the conviction that pregnancy begins with the decision to expand the family and that the pain of losing a child is independent of the stage of pregnancy at which it occurs. The importance of caring for healthcare professionals was also highlighted, so that they can better care for those going through this experience.
The Obstetrics and Gynecology Service of ULS Amadora/Sintra aims for this initiative to be "just the beginning of a path towards greater awareness, training, and humanization of care in gestational loss and perinatal grief."
Because every loss deserves recognition, every family deserves respect and support, and because caring also means knowing how to be present in the face of another's pain
In Portugal, according to the Directorate-General of Health, in the three-year period 2022-2024, the fetal mortality rate was four fetal deaths per thousand births.
In this context, the training of specialist nurses in Maternal and Obstetric Health Nursing in this area constitutes a relevant strategy to promote a more consistent and humanized approach and contribute to the continuous improvement of the quality of care.
