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Evidence-based guidance for parents navigating early pregnancy loss and future pregnancies

Project Status In Progress
Funding Organisation Mater Research
Organisation Lead Stillbirth CRE
Lead Investigator Siobhan Loughnan
Program Area Implementing Best Practice In Care After Stillbirth And In Subsequent Pregnancies
Topic Implementing Optimal Parent-centred Care Following Perinatal Death
Contact Emma Porter at emma.porter@mater.org.au

Annually, 1 in every 100 pregnancies at or beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy ends with the death of a baby (stillbirth or neonatal death). This number dramatically rises when early pregnancy loss (before 20 weeks) is included. Many parents will become pregnant again shortly following their loss. Pregnancy following loss is a daunting prospect and a period of intense fear and anxiety for many parents who have previously experienced perinatal loss.

We will develop two evidence-based parent information resources based on best practice care recommendations. These resources aim to empower parents to understand their care options and make decisions that best meet their individual needs. Both guides will:

  • be co-designed with bereaved parents and healthcare professionals,
  • support the psychosocial and emotional wellbeing of parents and provide strategies and tools important in navigating their journey from the time of loss through to future pregnancy planning, and pregnancies after loss,
  • provide healthcare professionals with a tool to promote and support parent-centred decision-making and provide the best possible care to families,
  • be based on the Stillbirth CRE’s NHMRC-approved 2024 edition of the Care Around Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Clinical Practice Guideline, and the RANZCOG Clinical Practice Guideline for early pregnancy loss.
  • be available as a printed booklet and as a digital resource,
  • be pilot-tested and refined based on parent feedback,
  • be implemented nationally including ongoing evaluation to explore the impact and reach of these resources and outcomes for families.

Western Pacific Regional Office of the International Stillbirth Alliance
Coordinating Centre, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Alliance, Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand

Level 3, Aubigny Place
Mater Research Institute
Raymond Terrace,
South Brisbane QLD 4101
The University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine

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