Support for parents experiencing perinatal loss.

Grief following perinatal loss is just as debilitating as that following the death of an older person and may not be completely resolved for years. The physician's role in assisting parents following perinatal loss is one of a sympathetic listener and compassionate informant, but each category of perinatal loss--miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death and sudden infant death syndrome--requires a somewhat different approach. To be of assistance, physicians must understand the normal process of grief and the differences between the reactions of mothers, fathers and siblings. The advent of liberal attitudes to family visiting in perinatal units has helped parents better understand perinatal illness, and appropriate management in the event of perinatal death can greatly benefit the family.