Stanford Bourne obituary
by Penny Warren from on (#5Q0QZ)
Pioneering psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who specialised in studying the effects of stillbirth on women's mental health
The psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Stanford Bourne, who has died aged 92 of congestive cardiac failure, broke the silence in the 1960s surrounding the anguish of stillbirth. His work opened up discussion, addressed medical bias, and guided doctors and midwives towards a more compassionate approach.
In the 60s, 18,000 women a year had a stillborn baby, but it was cloaked in secrecy. Well-meaning staff quickly removed babies before parents could see, name or hold them, and they were disposed of" - cremated or buried with nothing to mark the spot. Parents were expected to stifle their grief and often urged to try for another".
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