Chaplaincy Support to Bereaved Parents - Part 1

Liturgy, Ritual and Pastoral Presence

Authors

  • Mark Newitt Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.v2i2.20542

Keywords:

Chaplaincy, Attentive Listening, Bereavement, Liturgy, Pastoral Presence, Pregnancy Loss, ritual, spiritual need

Abstract

This article explores the spiritual needs of bereaved parents and the way chaplaincy support helped meet that need. It argues that underlying all other need was a loss of control experienced by parents. Alongside this, three further themes are identified: a loss of meaning and purpose, a loss of self worth, and a desire to do something. Liturgy and ritual provided by chaplains helped meet each of the spiritual needs. The ceremonies performed by chaplains were most meaningful to parents when accompanied by the chaplain relating well to them. Of particular importance was the ability of the chaplain to draw alongside parents through attentive listening. As a contrast to the rotation of nurses and doctors, parents often viewed chaplains as a consistent or constant presence. It is recommend that, if possible, the same chaplain provides support to parents throughout.

Author Biography

  • Mark Newitt, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    Reverend Doctor Mark Newitt BSc, BA, MA, DThM, is a chaplain at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He trained for ordination at Cranmer Hall, Durham, and was a curate in Northampton before taking up his current post in 2006. Since his first degree in Pharmaceutical Management he has maintained an interest in healthcare, ethics, and spirituality. He has a Doctorate in Theology and Ministry from Durham University where the focus of his research was chaplaincy support to bereaved parents following the in utero or neonatal death of their baby.

References

Broderick, S. and R. Cochrane (2012) Perinatal Loss: A Handbook for Working with Women and Their Families. Oxford: Blackwell.

Cecil, R., ed. (1996) The Anthropology of Pregnancy Loss: Comparative Studies in Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death. Oxford: Berg.

Davies, D. J. (2002) Death, Ritual and Belief: The Rhetoric of Funerary Rites, 2nd edition, London: Continuum.

Gould, S. J. and N. Eldredge (1977) “Punctuated Equilibria: The Tempo and Mode of Evolution Reconsidered”. Paleobiology 3(2): 115–51.

HealthTalkOnline (2012) Ending the Pregnancy: Treatment, Care and Communication. Available at: http://www.healthtalkonline.org/Pregnancy_children/Ending_a_pregnancy_for_fetal_abnormality/Topic/2006/ [accessed 10 February 2014].

Hey, V., C. Izin, L. Saunders and M. A. Speakman, eds (1996) Hidden Loss: Miscarriage and Ectopic Pregnancy, 2nd edition. London: The Women's Press.

Israel, M. (2001) The Pain that Heals: The Place of Suffering in the Growth of the Person. London: Continuum.

Kelly, E. (2007) Marking Short Lives: Constructing and Sharing Rituals Following Pregnancy Loss. Oxford: Peter Lang.

King, M., P. Speck and A. Thomas (2001) “The Royal Free Interview for Spiritual and Religious Beliefs: Development and Validation of a Self-report Version”. Psychological Medicine 31(6): 1015–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291701004160

McHaffie, H. E. (2001) Crucial Decisions at the Beginning of Life: Parents' Experiences of Treatment Withdrawal from Infants. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press.

Moulder, C. (1998) Understanding Pregnancy Loss: Perspectives and Issues in Care. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Newitt M. (2011) “Role and Skills”. In Being a Chaplain, eds M. Threlfall-Holmes and M. Newitt, 103-15. London: SPCK.

Nolan, S. (2011) “Hope Beyond (Redundant) Hope: How Chaplains Work with Dying Patients”. Palliative Medicine 25(1): 21–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269216310380297

Rappaport, R. A. (1999) Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511814686

Schott, J., A. Henley and N. Kohner (2007) Pregnancy Loss and the Death of a Baby: Guidelines for Professionals, 3rd edition. London: Sands UK/Bosun Press.

Woods, J. R. and J. L. E. Woods, eds (1997) Loss during Pregnancy or in the Newborn Period: Principles of Care with Clinical Cases and Analyses. Pitman, NJ: Jannetti Publications.

Published

2015-03-10

How to Cite

Newitt, M. (2015). Chaplaincy Support to Bereaved Parents - Part 1: Liturgy, Ritual and Pastoral Presence. Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, 2(2), 179-194. https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.v2i2.20542