Taiwanese Women's Experiences of Lactation Suppression After Stillbirth

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo explore the experiences of lactation suppression (LS) among Taiwanese women who experienced stillbirth after 20‐weeks gestation.DesignQualitative research combining practitioner ethnography and the observ‐view method (participant observation and unstructured interviews while caring for participants).SettingParticipants were recruited from a medical center in central Taiwan between June 2013 and November 2014.ParticipantsSeven Taiwanese women who had stillbirths.MethodsData were collected by the observ‐view method. Recorded interviews were analyzed by content analysis.ResultsParticipants described three core experiences: deciding to use LS without careful deliberation; psychological pain is substantially stronger than physical pain; and not regretting their choice regarding method of LS.ConclusionPhysical pain often remains unaddressed because of the greater psychological pain following fetal death. Therefore, LS should be an essential component of follow‐up care as part of the discharge plan. Follow‐up should be for at least 14 days. More research is needed on nonpharmacological LS to address cultural differences and personal beliefs about methods of LS.