What if a fetus dies in the womb, or a baby just born? A moving TV report tells about this and the emotional world of the parents.
Berlin – Parents usually look forward to the birth of their child beyond all measure. But what if the baby is born dead or dies shortly after birth?
What this horror means for the parents who remain behind is the focus of the report “A breath of life – star children and their parents”. It can be seen this Tuesday (September 7th, 10:15 pm, ZDF).
One last rearing in the mother’s body. In the morning Loreen (32) still felt her child, then they came over ice-cold showers, followed later by the terrible certainty achieved by ultrasound: In the 22nd week the baby’s heartbeat was no longer there. “After that I didn’t really notice anything,” says the mother in the film.
During the delivery, Loreen feels the same feelings of happiness as mothers of living children: “I thought Kira was beautiful,” she says proudly, and at the same time she was infinitely sad. Loreen himself had a suspected diagnosis that later turned out to be correct: cholestasis (biliary stasis). She blames herself, but above all her doctor, for failing to take urgent warning signals seriously.
So-called Turner syndrome
With Lydia (33) the case is a little different. She already has her daughter Greta (2) when she becomes pregnant again. At the 13th week, it turns out that your unborn child has a genetic condition called Turner syndrome – it leads to organ malformations and, most likely, death of the child in the womb. Although it also means a high risk of illness for the mother, Lydia decides against a possible abortion. The little Lenna in her belly proves to be a fighter until her heart just stops beating in the 25th week.
Author Anabel Münstermann (51, “No time for tears – parents of children with cancer”) accompanies these two courageous mothers and fathers very carefully and compassionately with the camera, there are tears, but also confidence – Loreen becomes pregnant again, daughter Merle comes healthy to the world. The parents tell – in the green or in the children’s room – frankly about how they dealt with joy, helplessness, doubt and sadness.
Last escort for star children
A grief counselor also has a say. She is also undertaker for star children – this is how deceased children are called, especially if they died shortly before, during or soon after the birth. The burial of these children was unregulated in Germany for many years, which is why there are small memorials or collective graves for them in many cemeteries. Only since a change in the Civil Status Act in 2013 has a birth certificate been issued for stillborn children weighing less than 500 grams, with which the right to their own funeral can be more clearly established for them.
Kira is now in a child’s grave in a very beautiful cemetery, Lenna’s ashes rest in a freshly planted magnolia tree in Lydia’s garden. But of course they live on in the hearts of their parents – two very young children who died after traveling far too short before they were even allowed to see the light of day. dpa
