Perinatal Bereavement Photography

Hospitals and other facilities that offer professional portrait photography services as part of their palliative care and bereavement programs in settings which may involve perinatal loss including fetal and infant death, a devastating experience for parents which may result in long-term adverse physical and psychosocial outcomes. Previous studies addressing perinatal bereavement interventions have found that the majority of bereaved parents endorse photography of their child and family. Existing data suggest that photography can aid in memory-making, memorialization, and validation; however, these are primarily survey-based studies of mothers.