Baby Loss Awareness Week

Baby Loss Awareness Week is held from 9 to 15 October to raise awareness about the key issues affecting those who have experienced pregnancy loss or baby death in the UK.

Thousands of people are affected each year by the loss of a baby, a still birth or a miscarriage. This is one of the most tragic events that can happen to a parent and more than 60 charities across the UK have collaborated to unite bereaved parents, their families and friends and others across the world, to commemorate the lives of babies who died during pregnancy, at or soon after birth and in infancy.

Baby Loss Awareness Week calls for tangible improvements in research, care and policy around bereavement support and highlights bereavement support and services available for anyone affected by the death of a baby at any stage.

One of the events being held is a ‘Wave of Light’ on 15 October at 7pm where families across the world will light a candle in remembrance of all the babies that have died too soon.

Please visit https://babyloss-awareness.org/ for further information on the organisations, events and how to get involved.

A key point of the week is to raise awareness, as the loss of a baby is something that is often not talked about. Raising awareness helps break the silence in order for parents to get the support that they so often need, but do not know how to access or feel unable to access.

The charities involved are also calling on all NHS Trusts and Boards across the UK to improve bereavement care for anyone affected by pregnancy and baby loss.

This year, Baby Loss Awareness Week marks the roll-out of the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP), a ground-breaking programme set to transform bereavement care for thousands of families each year.

The NBCP standards include:

  • All bereaved parents given opportunities to spend time making memories with their precious babies;
  • A dedicated bereavement room available and accessible in every hospital;
  • Bereavement care training for all staff who have contact with grieving parents;
  • Support for healthcare staff dealing with the trauma of baby loss so that they are able to care for bereaved parents.

Here at Lanyon Bowdler we work with many parents who have experienced the loss of a baby. We meet people at various points in time, some of which are newly bereaved and some who have contacted us at a later point in time, but it is clear the pain caused by the loss of a baby does not go away. Through our clients we understand that support for parents affected by the loss of a baby is paramount in every situation, particularly as the cause of the baby’s death is not always clear.

Baby Loss Awareness Week raises awareness not only about the tragic death of the babies but also all of the issues that parents face, and continue to face, after the devastating loss of their baby.