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Offering sensitive and compassionate clinical and bereavement care following perinatal death is the innate focus of the caring healthcare professional and facilitating informed choice around the subject of lactation following loss is an integral part of this. However, evidence suggests that there may be a deficiency in the provision of lactation advice and support following loss. Contributory factors may include a lack of awareness of lactation options following bereavement amongst midwives, as well as an absence of clarity around where the responsibility for offering lactation support and advice lies. This paper presents the literature surrounding the support of women's decision-making for lactation following perinatal death, explicating the physiology of lactation in the antenatal and postnatal periods, and exploring the challenges and opportunities for the midwife when supporting grieving mothers to decide the best option for them and their family.

Background Clinical training should be efficient, intellectually rigorous, and integrated into practice. This interactive workshop was developed to support student midwives in bereavement care. Aims To improve student midwives' confidence in providing bereavement care to parents after pregnancy loss and perinatal death. Methods Two focus groups were held, where students' (n=12) discussed their experiences of attending the workshop, barriers and facilitators to gaining confidence, and any further education needs. Findings All students agreed that the workshop increased their confidence, and said that role-plays were the most beneficial aspect of the day. Lack of exposure and support from mentors and senior staff was seen as the largest barrier to gaining further confidence. Conclusions The results suggest that all students could benefit from a workshop to increase confidence in bereavement care. The content of this workshop can be used in other maternity settings in Ireland and is recommended for all staff members caring for parents after perinatal bereavement or pregnancy loss.

Steph Wild, founder of the Beyond Bea Charity, explores the issues surrounding compassion in baby loss training and bereavement care

Stillbirth rates both in the UK and worldwide are extremely high. This reflective case study is centred on my first experience at caring for a bereaved couple who lost their baby boy, stillborn, at 27 weeks gestation. Whilst causes of stillbirth are often multi-factorial and unexplained, this reflection aims to explore how midwives can adopt simple measures to care for bereaved parents and how they can support themselves. Although research has focused on how improvements in research and training have contributed to a decline in stillbirth rates, this reflection also gives particular emphasis to the emotional aspects of bereavement care.

This article aims to explore Hong Kong-based midwives' attitudes towards perinatal bereavement care and identify their required support and bereavement care training needs. It is based on a study of 93 certified midwives working in an obstetrics and gynaecology unit in one of Hong Kong Island's largest public hospitals. Data were collected through a structured self-administrated questionnaire. The study measured: midwives' attitudes towards perinatal bereavement support; required support and bereavement care training needs. The main findings were that the majority of this study's sample held a positive attitude towards bereavement care and there was a significant difference in attitudes towards perinatal bereavement support in terms of demographics, practical experiences and training factors.