Repercussões psíquicas da perda perinatal de um gêmeo: entre o luto e o investimento

Abstract

Multiple pregnancies demand restructurings at various levels, requiring the family to bond with two or more children and adapt to this new reality. Death in the perinatal period is especially delicate, given its unexpected and impactful nature, requiring care from health teams. The occurrence of the death of a twin in the perinatal period brings complex issues for the family, which finds itself facing the need to care for the surviving baby while grieving the loss of a child. Thereby, the objective was to analyze the psychic and emotional aspects of mothers and fathers who experienced perinatal losses in multiple pregnancies, with the survival of at least one of the babies. The research is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Psychological and multidisciplinary medical records of the patients were consulted, and the data were analyzed according to the thematic modality, as suggested by Minayo (2014). The analysis of the reports resulted in the following categories: Characteristics of multiple pregnancy; Aspects of loss during the gestational-puerperal cycle; Specificities of the grieving process; The role of the multidisciplinary team. Particular issues related to twinhood and to the period in which death occurred were highlighted. The intensity of the experience lived by the parents indicates the possibility of grief postponement in these cases, as well as possible difficulties in the initial relationship with the surviving baby. In this context, the approaches adopted by the multidisciplinary team are crucial in assisting the expression of suffering and bonding with the surviving child, ensuring that one process does not hinder the other. The importance of further studies on the subject is emphasized, especially concerning the grieving process of parents and the development of the surviving twin.