Baby Loss Awareness Week 2019
Baby Loss Awareness Week runs from 9–15 October 2019. It provides an opportunity:
- For bereaved parents and their families and friends across the world to unite and commemorate their babies’ lives.
- To raise awareness about the issues surrounding pregnancy and baby loss in the UK.
- To let the public and key stakeholders know what the baby charities are doing to reduce the number of families affected and raise awareness about what support is available.
The charities leading Baby Loss Awareness Week provide support to anyone affected by pregnancy loss and the death of a baby, and work with health professionals and services to improve care. Together we are committed to raising awareness of pregnancy and baby loss, which affects thousands of families every year in the UK.
In 2019, the Miscarriage Association will be focusing on the lack of timely access to psychological therapies for people who need extra mental health support following pregnancy or baby loss.
Baby Loss Awareness pins are available in limited quantities from the ICP Support shop.
You can find out more at Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Claire McNeil’s story
During my first pregnancy, with my daughter, I woke up one day with really itchy hands and feet – I was 21 weeks pregnant. I remember clearly standing in a freezing cold shower in the middle of the night – it was the only way I would relieve the itch.
I was diagnosed with ICP (my doctors called it OC – the old name) the next day. I was very ill for the rest of my pregnancy. I was jaundiced my bile acid levels peaked at 289 at one time.
I remember clearly standing in a freezing cold shower in the middle of the night.It was decided at 30 weeks that I was too ill, and therefore was given a date at 32 weeks for a c-section. As I was packing my bag the night before, I felt a lot of cramps, and was told to come straight to the hospital. When I got there, they couldn’t find a heartbeat, and a doctor confirmed by scan that my baby had passed away – I will never forget that moment for as long as I live.
As I was already in labour by that time, I carried on, and my baby girl Ayla was delivered a few hours later. She had died only hours earlier, and was absolutely perfect. We were lucky to be able to spend three days with her in hospital while I recovered, and we held her funeral the week after.
We still miss our Ayla – our family will never feel whole.The next three years were hell for us, missing our baby girl beyond words and also not knowing if it was safe to try for another.
During this time we were given an incredible amount of help from ICP Support, both in the grieving process and with making the decision to try again.
We now have our little rainbow baby Callum, who is 19 months old (and I didn’t get ICP second time around), but we still miss our Ayla – our family will never feel whole.
This week highlights the need to remember all our angel babies, but we think about our daughter every single day.