In my master's thesis, I present the experiences of women who gave birth to a stillborn child or lost a child shortly after birth, with social workers. In the thesis, I focused on topics related to the loss of a child, I presented the grieving process of both parents and siblings, and the importance of parting and burial for grieving parents and the impact of the environment on the bereaved. But most of all, I focused on the professional work inside and outside the maternity ward, the support they provide to grieving families, and the role of social work in this. The study is based on the personal experiences of female individuals who have experienced the loss of a child after 22 weeks of gestation and who gave birth to a stillborn child or up to 28 days after birth and it has not been more than five years since their experience of the loss of a child. I wanted to know about their childbirth experience, what support they received from the medical staff, how the grieving process went and what they needed to do, what professional support they received outside the maternity ward, and how their experience of losing a child has affected their lives today. The results of the study showed that although the death of a child is one of the most difficult losses in life, parents are able to cope with the loss with the support of medical staff, various associations, conversations with people with similar experiences, and various activities that help to cope with the loss. I also think that the support of a social worker is important, even if the experience of the women was different. Social workers engage with the bereaved, work together, empower them to accept the reality of loss, become aware of it, and work together to shape the desired outcomes so that recovery is easier and they feel supported.
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