Maternity Bereavement services
At HDFT, our bereavement midwife supports families who have experienced a miscarriage in the second trimester, a stillbirth, a neonatal death or families who have had to make the difficult decision to end a pregnancy.
If you are reading this page because you have experienced the loss of your baby or babies, we are incredibly sorry for your loss.
Losing a baby at any stage of pregnancy is heart breaking and can have a profound effect and emotional impact on families.
Here at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust we are committed to providing the highest standard of care, working within the National Bereavement Care Pathway for all our families experiencing a pregnancy loss or early neonatal death. Our bereavement midwife will support with the coordination of your care during your hospital stay, as well as your aftercare once you have gone home. This support will be individual to your needs, and we will support you through difficult choices including registering your baby’s death (if applicable), the tests and investigations available to you, including post-mortem examinations and funeral arrangements.
How to contact our bereavement midwife:
Alex Souchaud and Olivia Dalby
Tel: 01423 557407
Mobile: 07741700421
Email: [email protected]
Bluebell, our bereavement suite
Within the maternity department at Harrogate hospital, we have a dedicated bereavement suite called Bluebell for you to spend precious time with your baby.
This space is yours to use fully. With tea and coffee making facilities, a fridge for personal use, comfortable accommodation and a self-contained bathroom area with shower, we hope it gives you the opportunity to be able to stay with your baby in a safe and private space for however long you wish to stay.
Our Bluebell suite has been recently refurbished, and this project has been kindly funded by donations from other bereaved parents, charity events and local sponsors. We are indebted to each and every one of them for making this possible. Our biggest contributor to this project is the Harrogate based charity and bereavement support ‘Our Angels’ to whom we are eternally grateful.
You will receive all your care within Bluebell, and our maternity staff are experienced in supporting families in creating memories, and ensuring these are personal and individual to your wishes.
We have a range of hats, clothing, nappies and blankets available for you to use, as well as Moses baskets and Flexmort Cuddlecots during your stay. However, please feel free to bring any items you wish for your baby.
Information when you need it
Pregnancy loss can be overwhelming, and you may not be ready to read or process information right now. We understand that this is a very personal experience and you may have many questions you would like answering.
Bereavement Support Organisations
Information on different types of support organisations and networks available following pregnancy loss.
Early pregnancy loss
Cradle Charity
Providing a range of services and support groups to anyone affected by early pregnancy loss including an online community forum and online support group.
Website: Home | Cradle Charity
Tel: 03334434630
Email: [email protected]
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust
Providing advice, information and support to anyone affected by ectopic pregnancy, including an online forum and 24-hour helpline.
Website: The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust – Support For You And Your Loved Ones
Tel: 02077332653
Miscarriage Association
Providing support and information to anyone affected by pregnancy loss, including a telephone helpline, and online support.
Website: The Miscarriage Association:Pregnancy Loss Information & Support
Tel: 01924200799
Email: [email protected]
The Worst Girl Gang Ever
A support platform and podcast for miscarriage and baby loss.
Website: The Worst Girl Gang Ever – Support for Miscarriage + Baby Loss
Termination of pregnancy for medical reasons
Antenatal and Results Choices (ARC)
Providing impartial information to support families making difficult decisions in pregnancy, and supporting anyone affected by termination of pregnancy for medical reasons.
Tel: 02077137486
Email: [email protected]
Soft
Providing support to anyone whose pregnancy or child is affected by Edward’s syndrome (Trisomy 18) or Patau’s syndrome (Trisomy 13).
Website: SOFT UK
Tel: 03001027638
Email: [email protected]
Pregnancy loss and neonatal death
4Louis
UK charity providing support to families affected by pregnancy and working closely with UK wide hospitals to improve bereavement care for families.
Website: 4Louis A UK Charity Supporting Families with Child Loss
Aching Arms
Providing peer support, through telephone and email support service for families following pregnancy loss. The charity also provides UK hospitals with ‘comfort bears’ for bereaved parents during their hospital stay.
Website: Aching Arms – the charity bringing comfort after baby loss
Tel: 07464508994
Email: [email protected]
Our Sam
Online website providing signposting to bereaved families to access support in their local areas.
Website: Our Sam Baby Loss Charity – Our Sam
Stillbirth And Neonatal Death Society (SANDS)
Providing emotional support and information to families affected by the death of a baby, including a telephone support line and support groups.
Website: Sands | Saving babies’ lives. Supporting bereaved families.
Tel: 08081643332
Email: [email protected]
Local support group SANDS Leeds
Website: Welcome | Leeds Sands
Email: [email protected]
Saying Goodbye
Providing information advice and support for families affected by pregnancy loss at any stage.
Website: Saying Goodbye – support for miscarriage and baby and infant loss
Telephone: 03003231350
Email: [email protected]
The Lullaby Trust
Supporting families and relatives support following the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or young child. The charity provides an online forum, social media pages as well as a dedicated bereavement support line.
Website: Bereavement support after the death of a baby or child – The Lullaby Trust
Telephone: 08088026868
Email: [email protected]
Tommy’s
Providing support for anyone affected by the loss of a baby in pregnancy or shortly afterwards.
Website: Baby loss information and support | Tommy’s (tommys.org)
Telephone: 08000147800
Email: [email protected]
Multiple pregnancy loss
Skye High Foundation
Supporting families who have experienced the loss of a baby in a multiple pregnancy.
Website: Purple Butterfly | The Skye High Foundation
Email: [email protected]
Twins Trust
Providing support for families and relatives who has been affected by baby loss in a twin, triplet or more pregnancy. The charity provides a peer befriending service, social media support groups and resources.
Website: Twins Trust | Bereavement Service
Telephone: 01252332344
Email: [email protected]
Faith and Multicultural Support
Chana
Providing emotional and practical support to Jewish families who are or have experienced primary or secondary infertility, as well as baby loss.
Website: Chana Charity Ltd
Telephone: 02082015774 / 02088000018
Email: [email protected]
Children of Jannah
Supporting muslim families, providing advice with a specialist helpline, support groups and resources following the loss of a baby.
Website: Home | Children of Jannah
Telephone: 01614805156
Email: [email protected]
Five X More
A UK charity committed to highlighting and changing black and black mixed heritage women’s health outcomes in the UK.
Petals in conjunction with Tommy’s and Five X More
Petals is a charity supporting bereaved families with a specialised counselling service specific to baby loss. The charity have partnered up with charities Tommy’s and Five X More to improve access to specialist counselling for any Black or Black mixed heritage women and birthing people who have experienced the loss of a baby in the last year.
Website: Tommy’s and FiveXMore – Petals Charity
About Counselling – Petals Charity
Telephone: 0300 688 0068
Email: [email protected]
Muslim Bereavement Support Service
A charity organisation serving the Muslim community with support for bereaved mothers who have lost a child at any stage.
Website: https://mbss.org.uk/
Telephone: 02034687333
Email: [email protected]
Suggested reading books which can be used to explain baby loss to children
For Jewish families: Hashem cries too by Rachel Shifra Tal
For Muslim families: We will meet again in Jannah by Zamir Hussain
Counselling services
You may feel you wish to access some additional support through talking therapies, such as counselling.
The counselling charity Petals begain working in partnership with Our Angels Charity to deliver specialist online counselling service for women, birthing people and their partners who have experienced baby loss and who received their care from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.
Bereaved families can be supported with funded counselling sessions if they have experienced any of the below within the last year:
- Second trimester miscarriage
- Termination of pregnancy for medical reasons (TFMR)
- Stillbirth
- Neonatal death
- Pregnancy after loss – support for parents with high anxiety in subsequent pregnancy following loss
- Other referral reasons may be accepted if referred by Our Angels or a bereavement midwife
The referral must come from a health care professional in the bereavement midwifery team. If you fit the above criteria please ask the professional referring you to complete the online referral form to complete a request for counselling.
You can email the bereavement midwifery team via [email protected] .
You may wish to seek other counselling options, and you can locate a local counsellor to you through the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy: https://www.bacp.co.uk/
Teddy’s wish also supports bereaved families following stillbirth, neonatal death and SUDC with specialist counselling.
Website: https://www.teddyswish.org/
Email: [email protected]
If you are unable to access Petals counselling support or wish to seek other support, national and local listening therapies are also available such as:
Reflect Harrogate: Pregnancy choice and loss support
Website: https://reflectharrogate.co.uk/
Telephone: 01423206710 / Text: 07517638007
Email: [email protected]
Taking Baby Steps
Website: https://takingbabysteps.co.uk/
Telephone: 07305331935
Email: [email protected]
Cruse Bereavement Support
Website: https://www.cruse.org.uk/
Telephone: 08088081677
Maternity Bereavement Books and Podcasts
Books and podcasts about pregnancy loss supporting bereaved families
For bereaved parents
- Ask me his name by Elle Wright
- Beyond grief by Pippa Vosper
- The worst girl gang ever, a survival guide for navigating miscarriage and pregnancy loss by Bex Gunn and Laura Buckingham
- Saying goodbye by Zoe Clarke-Coates
- The baby loss guide by Zoe Clarke-Coates
- Holding hope with empty arms, edited by Sheryl Roy, Emily Mullins and Miriam Rendell
- Life after baby loss by Nicola Gaskin
- A heart that works by Rob Delaney
For children
- These precious little people by Frankie Brunker and Gillian Gamble
- The invisible string by Patrice Karst
- The huge bag of worries by Virginia Ironside
- Where are you Lydie by Emma Poore
- A Star for Bobby, by Helen Keenor
- Ethan’s Butterflies, by Christine Jonas-Simpson
- I Will Always Remember Our Baby, by Elizabeth Hutton
- My Brother Lives in Heaven, by Allie Sheehan
- My Sibling Still, by Megan Lacourrege
- The Fairy Caretaker, by Mel Scott
- We Had To Say Goodbye Before We Even Met, by Irene Teague
SANDS have produced a series of Supporting Children workbooks. These can be used to explain the loss of a baby to children. The workbooks are available for ages three to seven years, seven to eleven years, and teens and young people. They can be downloaded for FREE from the SANDS website.
For pregnancy after loss
- A bump in the road by Elle Wright
- Pregnancy after loss by Zoe Clarke-Coates
Podcasts:
The other mothers hosted by Elle, Caro and Jen
The worst girl gang ever hosted by Laura and Bex
Voices of baby loss produced by Sands
Dad still standing hosted by Liam Preston and Matt Dearsley
Bereaved parents’ club podcast
Remembering Our Babies Podcast Series – Episode 1: Founders | Remember My Baby
Parent feedback questionnaire
Our team at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust are very sorry for the loss of your baby / babies. Please accept our condolences during this time and our gratitude for the time taken to complete this questionnaire, which we understand can be difficult.
This questionnaire is for women and their partners that have experienced the loss of their baby / babies during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Please give consideration to any aspects of the care you received before, during or following the birth of your baby, commenting on what was important to you, your partner and family. Please complete as much or as little of the form that you are able to, tick the relevant box for each question and write any comments you might have. Some questions may not be relevant to your experience.
All the information you share with us will remain anonymous unless you wish to provide your contact details at the end of this questionnaire. If you would like to discuss any aspects of your care, please contact the bereavement midwifes: Alex Souchaud and Olicia Dalby by emailing [email protected].
Click here to complete the Maternity Bereavement Services – Parent feedback questionnaire