The option to donate milk within the context of perinatal palliative care allows pregnant women to be involved in medical decision making before birth. In this article we examine how a perinatal bereavement program engages women and families in the process of milk donation when the deaths of their newborns are anticipated. We include two case examples to offer insight into the complexities within the patient experience of milk donation after perinatal loss.
Keywords: bereavement; breastfeeding; human milk bank; medical decision making; milk donation; perinatal loss; perinatal palliative care; pregnant women.
Copyright © 2018 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.