How to Support a Mother Who Receives a Prenatal Diagnosis During Pregnancy
Published on
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By Rev. Laura Palmer, Chaplain, Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment
Learning that your baby has a life-threatening health condition during pregnancy is a heart wrenching experience. A prenatal diagnosis impacts every aspect of a person’s life: spiritual, emotional and family life. The news can leave parents in a state of shock and uncertainty and they may face anguishing medical decisions.
Those around the pregnant mother and her partner — including extended family members and friends — often wonder how they can provide the best support during such a trying time.
In my role as chaplain in the Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, I find that people are so eager to help make a mother or partner going through this experience feel better that they tend to offer advice that isn’t helpful.
Here are some specific suggestions for those looking to support their friend or loved one after they receive a fetal diagnosis.
These situations draw mothers, partners and families into the heart of the deepest mysteries of the human condition. Making meaning of these moments can be the work of a lifetime. Sometimes there are no good or easy answers, only difficult choices. It’s been said that we live life forward but understand it backwards. In time, families may see meaning and find understanding that is not perceptible now.
What is undeniably true is that at the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, each mother and her baby receive the best care the world has to give. There’s no mystery to that truth. It is a commitment all of us at the Center are proud to uphold.
Contributed by: Laura E. Palmer, MDiv, BCC
Categories: Fetal Anomalies, Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment