Virtual training for midwives during a pandemic

When a baby dies, it is a tragedy at any time but during the COVID-19 pandemic, bereaved families and the professionals supporting them have been faced with additional and often distressing challenges. Restrictions have made access to hospitals difficult for partners and other family members, while support services that would normally be provided for bereaved parents have been unavailable or severely limited.

Witnessing and coping with this impact on families has been very difficult for professionals. Doctors, nurses and midwives have been telling us about the overwhelming impact COVID-19 has had on them. Personal protective equipment has removed the personal touch quite literally. Face masks and visors limit the effect of facial expressions and muffle voices, and the natural instinct of being tactile with mothers and babies has been denied to them.

For healthcare professionals, this has had a huge impact on their emotional well-being. Many of them say they feel they have not been able to provide the level of care they would normally, especially at a time when parents need it the most.