Van een glimlach die voorbij kwam en het stille verdriet. Plaats en betekenis van monumenten voor levenloos geboren kinderen

Abstract

Until the nineties in the twentieth century it was a well accepted practice in the Netherlands to separate as quickly as possible a child who had died before, or just after birth, from the parents. In this way professional caregivers were thought to ‘help’ the parents to get over their grief. Better not to get attached to the child, not to make memories and to ‘ignore’ the ever existence of the baby. The ordinary memorial rituals were completely neglected and parents often did not get the chance to organise the customary burial ceremony. Others, hospital staff, people belonging to the church, took over and most often the babies were buried in an anonymous way and without a known burial.