Vivência paterna: o impacto da perda gestacional

Abstract

The death of a child before birth breaks the natural order of life and causes the parents' dreams, expectations and hopes related to the arrival of a baby to crumble, which has an impact on motherhood and fatherhood. However, there are many studies on the maternal experience of pregnancy loss, while the paternal experience is still poorly studied . The aim of this study was to analyze the experience of pregnancy loss in men based on the investigation of male perceptions and feelings. Ten men who accompanied the hospitalization of their partners due to miscarriage at the Maternity School of UFRJ participated in the study. All of them were interviewed individually and their verbal reports were analyzed by Bardin's Content Analysis Methodology. It was observed that men were preparing for fatherhood since the discovery of pregnancy, which was interrupted by the loss of pregnancy. This resulted in reactions of shock and sadness, as well as feelings of helplessness and frustration. In addition, men found it difficult to share and express their pain because they needed to offer emotional support to their partners. We discussed the importance of care practices centered on men who are impacted by the loss of their child in order to help them express their feelings, prepare for grief and feel their pain.