Guidelines: 3. Acknowledge Bereavement

• Parents often feel their loss is underestimated
• tendency to try to be positive and focus on the surviving twin.
• Generally parents welcome the opportunity to discuss the loss of the twin who died, at whatever stage of pregnancy the loss occurred, and also ‘permission’ to grieve for their loss, while celebrating their surviving baby.

Staff could say: ‘It’s completely normal for you to feel terrible sadness about the death of your baby, but at the same time feel excited about his/her twin. Other parents experience this too. Don’t be afraid to discuss this’’.

As neonatal units get bigger with more staff, it’s more challenging to provide continuity.

The Butterfly sticker acknowledges the twin that has died without having to say anything.