Executive Findings

Perinatal loss care, between the lines.

A five-theme reading of survey responses from 49 loss records — what participants needed, what they received, and the quiet distance between the two.

49
Loss records analyzed
5
Themes identified
29%
Needed support in weeks & months after loss
12%
Ever accessed a therapist post-loss

Methodology. n=49 loss records from 44 completed and 5 near-complete responses (99%+ progress). Race/ethnicity uses single-bucket method — each respondent counted in one group, with multi-ethnic respondents grouped separately. Yes/No questions (compassion, race impact, grievance) computed at respondent level: a respondent is counted as "Yes" if they reported yes for any of their losses. Multi-select questions counted per respondent (each person counted once per option selected).

Sample

Who is in the data.

Where respondents received care and how they identify. (n=49 loss records)

Where respondents received care
n=49 loss records across two counties
Respondent race/ethnicity
Each respondent counted in one category. Respondents identifying with multiple groups grouped as "Multi-ethnic".

Sample over-represents Black/African American and Hispanic respondents relative to county demographics — consistent with the study's focus on disparities.

Theme 01

Support drops off after the immediate loss.

At which points did you most need support that you did not receive? (n=49, multi-select)

Unmet support, by timing
80% of participants who filed a grievance (4 of 5) received no follow-up — the loudest signal of post-loss silence.
Theme 02

Participants felt forgotten — grief was not acknowledged.

What support did you need but not receive? (n=49, multi-select)

Unmet support, by type
Grief counseling is the single largest unmet need (18%) — pointing squarely at the post-discharge gap.
Theme 03

Inconsistency of care — no single standard.

Compassion, communication, and race-influenced care varied widely between providers.

Was your loss handled with compassion?
78%
said yes — yet roughly 1 in 5 felt their loss was not handled with compassion. n=36 valid responses.
How were you communicated to?
46%
were told what would be done, rather than given choices. n=26 valid.
50%
of Black/African American respondents reported their race impacted the quality of care they received.
Did race or ethnicity impact the care you received?
Among 36 respondents who answered — 13 did not respond.
28%
said yes — race or ethnicity shaped how their loss was handled. n=36 valid responses.
Race impacted care — by race/ethnicityⓘ
Each respondent counted in one ethnicity bucket. Multi-ethnic respondents grouped separately. Small subgroups (n<5) shown for transparency.

Methodology. Crosstabs computed at respondent level (n=49 total). A respondent is counted as "Yes" if they reported race impacted care for any of their losses. 13 respondents did not answer this question.

Theme 04

Partners and family carry the primary support load.

Who supported you during and after your loss? (n=49, multi-select, paired)

Sources of support · during vs after
Therapists are the only formal source that grows after loss (5 → 6) — every other professional source declines exactly when grief peaks.
Theme 05

Formal supports remain limited.

Structural and emotional barriers after loss — and the topics participants wish they'd been told about. (n=49, multi-select)

Barriers to accessing services after loss
Topics participants wished they'd been told about
Grief counseling is the #1 unmet need (18%) — yet only 6 of 49 participants (12%) ever accessed a therapist after loss. The gap is the headline.