Lethal fetal anomalies: a case of bilateral renal agenesis

This article explores the experience of a woman, who at 32 weeks’ gestation was informed that her baby had a lethal fetal anomaly (LFA). Background information is provided about the condition in this case, and the key debates about how the news is shared, the interventions that are suggested, and most significantly the choices made by the mother in completing this inevitable journey. Midwives acting as advocates for the women they care for are often confronted with women’s diverse cultural responses to grief that can challenge a medical model of care. However, in this case study, the midwife endeavoured to facilitate the experience of the woman and her partner from the point of breaking the news to the couple, to how decisions were made regarding any intervention culminating in the parturition, celebrating the birth, yet dealing with the grief at the loss of their baby and the life that might have been.