Baby Loss Awareness Week aims to break the silence and support bereaved families.
The Baby Loss Awareness Week Alliance, a group of more than 130 charities led by Sands, Tommy’s, Bliss, The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, The Lullaby Trust, and The Miscarriage Association has released a new piece of research, that has found that the lives of half of UK adults have been affected by pregnancy or baby loss.
Half of UK adults, 50%, said that they, or someone they know, had experienced at least one form of pregnancy or baby loss, in response to a YouGov survey published at the start of Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15 October). The most commonly mentioned type of loss in the survey was a form of miscarriage (40%), followed by stillbirth (13%), ectopic pregnancy (12%), termination for medical reasons (6%), neonatal death (5%), and molar pregnancy (2%). Survey respondents were asked to select all types of loss that applied. Only 40% of those surveyed said they or someone they know had never experienced pregnancy loss or baby loss, while 6% answered “prefer not to say” and 4% answered “don’t know”. A higher proportion of women (62%) said that they or someone they knew had been affected compared to men (38%).
“This latest survey demonstrates the scale of pregnancy and baby loss across the UK. What we must remember is that behind these numbers are people who have experienced a deeply personal loss. There’s no set way to grieve or remember a pregnancy loss or the death of a baby, but what we do know is that appropriate, timely and sensitive bereavement support can be hugely beneficial.
“The percentage of women reporting they know someone affected, compared to men, suggests that there is still a stark difference between women and men talking about pregnancy and baby loss. One of the aims of Baby Loss Awareness Week is to support anyone impacted by pregnancy or baby loss to feel comfortable if they wish to speak openly about their loss, and to educate others about this subject. With so many people touched by this issue, we need to break the silence and ensure more people are supported to navigate their lives after loss.”
Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, and Chair of the Baby Loss Awareness Alliance
The charities in the Baby Loss Awareness Alliance are calling for anyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss, however recently or longer ago, to reach out and access emotional support if they need this.
The Alliance is also using the week as an opportunity to speak out and raise awareness of the need for more action to ensure safer maternity care and better support for bereaved families. Sands, along with other organisations and charities is calling on everyone to ask their MP to attend the annual Baby Loss Awareness Week debate in parliament.
On Thursday 19 October the annual parliamentary debate on baby loss will take place in the main chamber of the House of Commons. The debate will focus on progress since the Ockenden Report into maternity services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH). It will be led by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Baby Loss co-chair Helen Morgan MP, whose constituency is covered by the Trust.
Baby Loss Awareness Week unites bereaved families. This year marks the 21st year of Baby Loss Awareness Week in the UK – a week for everyone in the baby loss community and beyond to come together to remember and commemorate much-loved and missed babies.
Baby Loss Awareness Week aims to unite the pregnancy and baby loss community by reaching out to spread awareness of the impact of bereavement and remembering all babies lost. It also plays a crucial role in raising awareness of the importance of ongoing bereavement support and essential work required to improve pregnancy outcomes and save babies’ lives.
For the fourth year running, NatWest Group is proudly supporting Baby Loss Awareness Week in partnership with Sands. Thank you to NatWest Group for their ongoing commitment to supporting bereaved families across the UK.
“Baby Loss Awareness Week has a simple yet profound objective to connect, support and heal together. This week means a lot to me as someone who struggled with fertility first-hand. I’m thankful for the partnership between Sands and NatWest Group’s Homelife Employee Led Network and the support they continue to provide.”
Katie Murray, Group CFO at NatWest Group
Throughout the week, there is a range of events and activities happening across the UK. Landmarks and buildings across the UK will be lit up pink and blue – the colours of Baby Loss Awareness Week - and people will be holding remembrance events and creating ribbon displays in their hometowns to help raise awareness of the impact of pregnancy and baby loss, remember much-loved babies and open up conversations around this issue.
Baby Loss Awareness Week will culminate in a global Wave of Light at 7pm on 15 October. This is a special time when everyone is invited, wherever they are in the world, to light a candle at 7pm local time as a special mark of support and remembrance for all babies that have died, and pregnancies lost. Anyone can join a digital Wave of Light from 7pm on 15 October by posting a photo of their candle to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #WaveOfLight.
For further information about how to get involved in Baby Loss Awareness Week please visit this section of our website and to contact your MP to attend the Baby Loss Awareness Week parliamentary debate, please use this pre-written letter to encourage them to speak up for bereaved families in their constituency.