Anxiety Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Anxiety, including details on anxiety disorder, panic attacks, medication, counselling, therapy.

Grief, anxiety, stillbirth, and perinatal problems: healing with kangaroo care.

Burkhammer MD, Anderson GC, Chiu SH

Edward J. and Louise Mellen Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4904, USA.

A young, anxious mother's first pregnancy was eclamptic, her placenta was underperfused, and her son was stillborn. She carried grief, guilt, anxiety, and hypervigilance into her next preeclamptic pregnancy, birth (of her small-for-dates son), and early postpartum period. When breastfeeding difficulties developed, the authors intervened with three consecutive (skin-to-skin) breastfeedings. During the first skin-to-skin breastfeeding, the mother stopped crying, shared self-disparaging emotions, and then began relaxing and "taking-in" her new baby. Breastfeeding continues at 1 year.

Published 24 November 2004 in J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs, 33(6): 774-82.
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