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Meeting the emotional and behavioral health needs of bereaved NICU parents

Journal of Perinatology volume 45, pages 1023–1028 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Parents who experience the death of a child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at high risk for adverse behavioral health outcomes. For many parents, their child may have never lived outside of the hospital and the grief and loss this subset of bereaved parents’ experience is unique. NICU parents may feel robbed of traditional parenthood and lean on NICU providers for support, creating a dynamic in which the care team plays a key role in shaping the parents’ experience of their child’s life and death. In this perspective, opportunities to support NICU parents in their bereavement are reviewed alongside recommendations at the individual, institutional, and national level to work toward a gold standard for neonatal bereavement care.

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Funding

This work product is a result of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Trainees and Early Career Neonatologists (AAP, TECaN) National Advocacy Campaign, Carousel Care (www.CarouselCare.org). Funding from the AAP was made available for continuing medical education (CME) credits for its webinar contents which is reflected in the content of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Olivia Ruth

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA

    Sasha Amiri

  3. Division of Psychology and Neuropsychology, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA

    Amy E. Baughcum

  4. Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Amy E. Baughcum

  5. Martha S. Pitzer Center for Women, Children, and Youth, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Christine A. Fortney

  6. Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA

    Janell Robinson

  7. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Palliative Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Sara Munoz-Blanco

  8. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology and Bioethics Center, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Stephanie K. Kukora

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  1. Olivia Ruth
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  2. Sasha Amiri
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  3. Amy E. Baughcum
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  4. Christine A. Fortney
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Contributions

OR, SA, AE, CF, SMB, and SK contributed to the literature search and writing of the manuscript. JR provided parent perspective and contributed to the editing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Stephanie K. Kukora.

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Ruth, O., Amiri, S., Baughcum, A.E. et al. Meeting the emotional and behavioral health needs of bereaved NICU parents. J Perinatol 45, 1023–1028 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-025-02218-z

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