Northamptonshire Health Charity is going pink and blue for Baby Loss Awareness Week 2021

Northamptonshire Health Charity is observing Baby Loss Awareness Week (9^th to 15^th October) by helping to raise awareness about pregnancy and baby loss.

The independent charity, which supports local NHS hospitals and community services across Northamptonshire, will be sharing information, case studies from bereaved parents, as well as details about how donations to the charity have made and continue to make a difference.

Donations help to enhance the facilities and services that the bereavement midwife teams are able to provide to parents experiencing the loss of their baby at Northampton General and Kettering General Hospitals.

Baby Loss Awareness Week, now in its 19^th year, is an opportunity for bereaved parents, families and their friends, to commemorate babies’ lives, raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss, and to drive for improvements in both care and support for those affected and to save babies’ lives in the future.

There is a dedicated page at the charity’s website where visitors can find lots of information and where updates will be posted each day. There will also be a social media takeover in the hope of encouraging widespread local support for Baby Loss Awareness Week.

Rob Powell, Charity Fundraiser said: “We hope that by observing the week in this way, it will spark conversations about baby loss and give local bereaved parents and families an opportunity to talk about their precious babies.”

This year Baby Loss Awareness Week will be exploring the theme of wellbeing and sharing what has helped anyone affected by pregnancy and baby loss to recover and build a life after loss.

Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands (stillbirth and neonatal death charity), said: “Baby Loss Awareness Week is a unique opportunity for parents, grandparents, siblings and wider family and friends to come together and remember their babies who have died, however long ago.

“For anyone whose baby has died, however recent or long ago, the world is changed forever, and there is no simple answer to grief. Finding ways to cope and look after yourself or your partner is different for everyone.

“I hope that Northamptonshire Health Charity’s focus on the week will help start more conversations about pregnancy and baby loss, and by doing so, help bereaved parents and families feel more able to talk about their babies and find ways to look after themselves and others.”

Anyone across Northamptonshire can share their photos or posts on social media with the hashtags #BLAW #BLAW2021 and #BabyLoss.

For further information about Baby Loss Awareness Week visit: www.babyloss-awareness.org