Mid Yorkshire illuminates in support of bereaved families

Pictured: Jenifer Reynolds’ scan photo

From today, in support of Baby Loss Awareness Week, Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust will illuminate its hospitals in remembrance of babies lost far too soon.

To raise funds for MY Hospitals Charity’s Child and Baby Bereavement Fund, and to signpost bereaved families to support, events will take place across Pinderfields, Pontefract, and Dewsbury hospitals between Thursday 9 and Wednesday 15 October.

On Friday 10 October, Pinderfields will host a bake sale in the main atrium, with bereavement midwives available to speak to patients and colleagues seeking advice or support.

Throughout the week, hospital chapels will be open for quiet reflection, when visitors and staff will have the opportunity to light an LED candle.

Information stalls will also be present across Trust hospitals to raise awareness of the impact of pregnancy and baby loss, the importance of ongoing bereavement support, and the work needed to improve pregnancy outcomes and save babies’ lives.

As the campaign draws to a close on Wednesday 15 October, MY Hospitals Charity invites staff to dress down or accessorise in the campaign colours of pink and blue, in return for a donation towards the Child and Baby Bereavement Fund which is raising money for a new baby bereavement room.

Jenifer Reynolds, Waiting List Clerk in the Trust’s Access Booking and Choice Team, lost her baby in 2023. She wants to raise awareness and support families who experience similar losses. Jenifer said: "In 2023, I lost my baby at 13 weeks’ gestation. The staff in the Early Pregnancy Unit comforted me as they confirmed the worst news, and then, just six months later, I lost my dad. Later that year, I started working for the Trust and was overwhelmed by the support available to staff which sadly wasn’t on offer at my previous place of employment. I’m really grateful it exists for others, although I can’t help but wish I’d had it for myself.

“Pregnancy loss is not spoken about enough. People often don’t know what to say or do, but the impact lasts a lifetime. To help me cope, I created a memory drawer for my baby in my home which I share with my new partner. He supports me in my remembrance. I have a bauble dedicated to ‘baby Harrison’ and his daughter likes to be the one to hang it on our Christmas tree, which means so much to me and is a ritual I’d love to continue. My family in Newcastle also support me by lighting candles during the Wave of Light and sending photos.

“The government’s baby loss certificate scheme has also given me real comfort by formally recognising my baby’s life. The certificates are also available for historic pregnancy loss so I would really urge people to look into that.

“Now I’m in a place where I want to support others going through the same pain and that’s why I’m working with our hospital charity to organise a fundraising dress-down day to finish off Baby Loss Awareness Week. I’d love people to get involved and to contribute to the cause which will help us to create a new baby bereavement room to provide bereaved families with a private, quiet space, away from busy hospital wards, to spend their final moments together.”

The Trust’s Director of Midwifery, Children’s Nursing and Women’s Health, Kerry Reede Field, added: “Baby Loss Awareness Week is an important opportunity for us to come together in remembrance, to break the silence that so often surrounds pregnancy and baby loss, and to show families that they are not alone. By illuminating our hospitals and raising funds for a dedicated bereavement room, we hope to provide comfort, compassion, and the space families need at the most difficult of times."

Baby Loss Awareness Week culminates with the “Wave of Light” on Sunday 15 October, when people worldwide light a candle at 7pm local time to remember babies who have died too soon.

To support the Trust’s Child and Baby Bereavement Fund, use the donation form at bit.ly/MYBLAW25, or text BLAW to 70450 to donate £5. Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting in to hear more from the charity. To donate without receiving further communications, text BLAWNOINFO instead.

Visit www.babyloss-awareness.org to find out more about Baby Loss Awareness Week.