Maria Gormley has organised a Ribbon Remembrance display for Baby Loss Awareness Week in Clacton-on-Sea in memory of her daughter Laura, who died shortly after birth, and would have turned 35 this year. Maria has written about how she began doing this in 2019 and some...
I'd heard about baby loss and I'd thought to myself how devastating it must be. You think about the parents and wonder if there is anything you could possibly say to help them or ease their pain, but you don't know. Then one day I...
Families often tell us that having different opportunities to remember their baby provides them with comfort as they navigate their grief journey. The annual Wave of Light, that takes place on 15 October at 7pm (local time), is a special moment in the year where everyone in the baby...
Rowan experienced pregnancy loss through an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is where the pregnancy implants in a location that is not within the cavity of the womb. Sadly the pregnancy cannot be saved and it can be a life threatening condition for the woman or...
Pregnancy and baby loss can turn a person’s world upside down. In the time that follows, the support that someone has around them makes all the difference to their wellbeing as they adjust to a new normal. Communities come in all shapes and sizes – yours might be your friendship circle, your neighbours, your...
Amy and I had five miscarriages over a period of 18 months. That was easily one of the most difficult periods of our 16-year relationship. We met at university and, while I can’t speak for her, I remember almost immediately feeling like this was someone I...
Looking after the partners of people who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss is something that everyone can help do – friends, family, health professionals and colleagues. Partners often feel they have to be strong and keep their feelings hidden, or that their wellbeing isn't important. They can often be sidelined by pregnancy, maternity or...
Being only 5 when my sister died, my parents decided that my brother and I wouldn’t attend the funeral, we didn’t get the chance to say goodbye, if I am honest I’m not sure that I have ever really gotten over this fact. My sister’s...
If you’re the brother or sister of a baby who died it may feel like there is a missing piece of the family. If you’re younger than them you may only know about your sibling through what you’ve been told or seen in photos. Even if you were living at the time, your childhood memories...
Every year during baby loss awareness week, I reflect on the families I have cared for and how much they have taught me about love, life, and grief. However, this year I am also drawn to remembering the maternity staff I have worked with who...