Vigilance in parents' experiences of fetal and infant loss.

Objective: To develop an in-depth understanding of the experiences and contexts of fetal and infant mortality from the perspective of women and men who experienced a fetal or infant loss.

Design: Qualitative, descriptive.

Setting: Small urban community of 100,000.

Participants: Eleven women and four men who experienced a fetal (>14 weeks) or infant loss between 2006 and 2008.

Methods: Naturalistic inquiry.

Results: Vigilance was described as a part of the experience of fetal and infant mortality for study participants. Vigilance was defined as "doing everything possible to help this baby make it" despite poverty, health care inequity, and stress. Stories demonstrated vigilance amidst neighborhood violence, poverty, and stress; during early pregnancy; during changes occurring in the participants or with their babies; and when explanations of cause of death(s) were not clear. The participants desired healthy pregnancies and healthy infants; however, vigilance may have contributed to the risk for fetal and infant loss with these families.

Conclusions: Further study about vigilance has the potential to help health care providers understand the dynamics and consequences of fetal and infant mortality.