L’accompagnement des parents, face à la fin de vie de l’enfant à naître ou du nouveau-né.

Methods derived from hospice care may be im1plemented to great benefit in situations of hardship connected with maternity, be it during the pregnancy, in the case of a child diagnosed with a lethal condition, or in the post-natal setting when the life of the infant is uncertain. Could the presence of a volunteer to support the parents be relevant in such distressing circumstances? The study is based on the results and analysis of two questionnaires, one answered by parents, the other one by medical and nursing staff of a neonatal unit, followed by an experiment within this unit. More than 90% of the 29 parents surveyed made clear that such support would answer their need to share this experience, be listened to and comforted. And yet the medical team has been much less supportive of such a project. The organizations of volunteers are now well established and have proved that the implementation of this project required both good training of the volunteers and a clear definition of the framework in which to operate. If, at the start, some reluctance on the part of the medical staff was legitimate, it should not preclude the implementation of measures tailored to meet parents’ needs, even in maternity wards. This should be done without disrupting the smooth running of the services and in a spirit of mutual respect of the persons involved who are all working in an emotionally charged atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]