Baby Loss Awareness Week (9 – 15 October) takes place every year and is now in its 20^th year. The week aims to raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss in the UK.

What is Baby Loss Awareness Week?

Baby Loss Awareness Week takes place annually between the 9^th and 15^th October. Bereaved parents and their families are given the opportunity to come together, as a community, in a safe and supportive space to commemorate their babies' lives. The week also aims to raise awareness of how pregnancy and baby loss affects thousands of families each year in the UK and to drive change and improvements in care and support available to parents. The theme for this year is wellbeing which is important to allow those affected by baby loss to process their grief, loss and other challenges.

How can I get involved in Baby Loss Awareness Week?

Join the #waveoflight

You can join with bereaved parents and families by lighting a candle on Saturday 15^th October at 7pm in memory of every baby who has died. You are encouraged to share a post on your social media using #waveoflight.

Turn the UK pink and blue

Buildings and significant landmarks across the UK are encouraged to light up pink and blue during the week.

If you have been affected by pregnancy or baby loss

If you have been affected by pregnancy or baby loss, we are very sorry for your loss. If you need some specialist support, we would recommend getting in touch with the following charities as a good starting point.

• Tommy's are the UK's largest charity dedicated to carrying out research into the causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth as well as providing trusted pregnancy and baby loss information and support.
• Sand's is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity in the UK. Sands exists to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need it. They offer bereavement support nationally through their helpline and support groups.
• Our Sam works to raise awareness, understanding and improve support and access to support for anyone that has been affected by baby loss following miscarriage, stillbirth, termination for medical reasons and neonatal death.

As the 5th leading cause of death worldwide, intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD), more commonly known as a stillbirth, is fetal death at the time of delivery. IUFD occurs when a fetus shows no signs of life, characterized as the absence or lack of breathing, heartbeat, and defined movements of muscles. You can find more information on this at Intrauterine Fetal Demise (Stillbirth) | Birth Injury Center

We introduced Parental Bereavement Leave and Pregnancy Loss policies to our HR documents with the guidance of Chwarae Teg. These policies reiterate our commitment to supporting colleagues through their grief by ensuring that bereaved parents can take time off should they suffer a loss.

How much time off am I entitled to after a pregnancy loss?

Unfortunately, pregnancy loss is sadly more common than people think. The experience of pregnancy loss is poorly understood due to the silence surrounding it and it varies from person to person.

It can be an incredibly painful event that has a lasting physical and emotional impact on those experiencing it
and their families, no matter the nature of the loss or when it happens.

How much time off am I entitled to after the loss of my baby or child?

You are entitled to parental bereavement leave if a child has died or been stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy. You are entitled to parental bereavement leave to deal with personal distress and related practical arrangements. We acknowledge that all bereavement impacts all individuals differently and our guidelines are intended to show the minimum paid leave our colleagues are entitled to.

Parental bereavement leave and pregnancy loss policies

In order to raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss, and how best to support your colleagues, we have made our Parental Bereavement Leave and Pregnancy Loss policies available to download here.