The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEH) is uniting with families and communities around the world taking part in the ‘Wave of Light’ event for Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Tomorrow, Saturday 15 October, the Trust’s Arthur Levin Day Surgery Unit will light up at 7pm in distinctive blue and pink colours in memory of the babies lost during pregnancy, birth or shortly afterwards.
‘Wave of Light’ takes place every year on the final day of Baby Loss Awareness Week as families around the world light candles and leave them burning from 7pm. The symbolic gesture aims to raise awareness and open a space for conversations around baby loss.
Earlier this week the Trust turned one of its trees at the front of the hospital into a memorial tree adorned with butterflies containing names and messages. Parents, families, staff and visitors added their message before attaching it to the tree. The public could also contact the Trust via its Maternity Facebook or Twitter pages to arrange for a message to be added.
QEH works closely with a number of charities and organisations to offer support and guidance to bereaved families experiencing the loss of their baby.
In July QEH opened its brand-new and much needed Maternity Bereavement Suite. Named The Butterfly Suite by the local community, the facility provides a dedicated space for bereaved parents who experience this unimaginable loss either during pregnancy or shortly after birth. The quiet and private area now enables parents time to create precious memories with their baby, in a safe and comfortable environment separate from the clinical setting.
Amanda Price-Davey, Head of Midwifery at QEH, said: “I’m pleased that we are able to show our support for Baby Loss Awareness Week. This is an important time of year enabling an outlet of grief for the bereaved parents and families we care for who have experienced the loss of their baby.”
QEH is continuing to fundraise for a new memorial garden which followed as a suggestion from our service users. To be named the Butterfly Garden, the outdoor area would provide a tranquil space for those experiencing a very traumatic loss to make precious memories and begin to grief their loss.
If you would like to support QEH’s Maternity Bereavement Suite appeal, you can give to the appeal online or send cheques payable to ‘Maternity Bereavement Suite Appeal’ to the Finance Department, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gayton Road, King’s Lynn, PE30 4ET. To make the suite as homely and comforting as possible for families, fundraising efforts continue to enable the purchase of much-needed furnishings.
To find out more about Baby Loss Awareness Week and the support available, visit babyloss-awareness.org.
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For further information, please contact Communications Team, media.enquiries@qehkl.nhs.uk or 01553 613216.
To download the press release and photo, click here.
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