Pregnancy and baby loss are devastating and deeply personal experiences, and for many, it is a heart-breaking and difficult reality. Baby Loss Awareness Week is an opportunity to bring our community together. It aims to provide anyone affected by pregnancy and baby loss with a safe and supportive space to share their experiences and feel less alone.
This year marks the 20th year of Baby Loss Awareness Week here in the UK. A week dedicated to remembering and commemorating our much-loved and missed babies. The week also serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of pregnancy and baby loss, the role of bereavement support in the ongoing bereavement journey, and the vital work that is required to improve pregnancy outcomes and save babies’ lives. Throughout Baby Loss Awareness Week 2022, the aim is to create a space for you to share and feel supported. Whatever your experience of loss may be, about how you’ve coped, what helped (and didn’t) so we can all learn how to better look after each other as a community and know how to get the right kind of support when we need
Ways To Get Involved
Whether you are a bereaved parent or family member, a charity, or a healthcare professional, there are numerous ways to get involved and participate in Baby Loss Awareness Week to help raise awareness.
Pregnancy and baby loss are frequently taboo topics. Ways to help break the silence about baby loss is to inform friends, family, colleagues about Baby Loss Awareness Week. They can join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #BLAW2022 on October 15th by wearing a pin badge or lighting a candle.
Support is needed to raise awareness that baby death is a tragic issue that affects thousands of people in the UK alone each year. Another way to help raise awareness is by purchasing the Baby Loss Awareness ribbon pink badge. Many charities involved in promoting Baby Loss Awareness Week will also be selling the awareness pin badge on their websites. The money raised from badge sales will go to the charity from which you purchased it. This will then be used to support the important work they do.
Baby Loss Awareness Support
This can be a very overwhelming week for many people. Remember that how you choose to engage with it is completely up to you. It’s important to remember you are not alone and there are many people and places you can reach out to for support and help.
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust supports anyone who has experienced the ordeal of ectopic pregnancy loss. They also support partners and wider family members and friends. While they are unable to provide medical advice they offer support from others who have been through a similar experience.
Their helpline: 020 7733 2653
Email: [email protected]
Sands are a stillbirth and neonatal death charity. They offer up-to-date information and support available for bereaved parents, families, and healthcare professionals.
Their helpline: 0207 436 5881
Email: [email protected]
The Lullaby Trust offer support for bereaved families who have lost a child through SIDS. They offer life saving advice to help parents and carers reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Bereavement Support: 0808 802 6868
Email: [email protected] & [email protected]
Information Line: 0808 802 6869
Tommy’s offer health information for parents-to-be, and funding for research into the causes of pregnancy loss. If you have non-urgent questions, they have developed Tommy’s Midwife, a skilful Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa that answers pregnancy queries.
Email: [email protected]
The Wave Of Light
Baby Loss Awareness Week culminates with the global “Wave of Light” on 15th October, which is a globally recognised event . If you would like to be involved and join other families across the world, you can by lighting a candle at 7pm local time and leaving it burning for at least one hour to remember all babies that have died too soon. Another way to get involved is by joining the virtual Wave of Light. To do this take a photo of your candle and post it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #WaveOfLight at 7pm local time. Wherever you do this, you will be joining a global ‘Wave of Light’ in memory of all the babies who lit up our lives for such a short time.