Services of remembrance are to be held for parents and families who have suffered the loss of a baby.
So Briefly Known services will take place at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley and Inverclyde Royal Hospital on October 5 and 12 respectively.
This is the first service to be held at the IRH and both are arranged to coincide with Baby Loss Awareness Week, allowing bereaved families to acknowledge their baby’s life.
Midwives will provide support for families alongside NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Spiritual Care Team.
Candles will be provided at the services, which parents and families will be invited to light in memory of their baby or babies.
They can also place a tag on a memory tree, and will be able to take candles home to allow them to participate in the Global Wave of Light at 7pm on October 15.
The RAH’s So Briefly Known service will take place at 7pm on October 5 in the Sanctuary of the hospital, while Inverclyde’s event will take place at 6.30pm on October 12 in the Sanctuary of the main IRH building and everyone is welcome.
In 2023, NHSGGC welcomed the introduction of the Baby Loss Memorial Book produced jointly by the Scottish Government and National Records of Scotland.
The memorial book is for anyone who has experienced pregnancy or baby loss prior to 24 weeks.
It gives parents an opportunity – if they wish – to commemorate their loss with a physical record and it is a free and entirely optional service.
Mothers and families who experience a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks of pregnancy are welcome to discuss this option with their midwife or visit Baby loss memorial book – gov.scot for further information.
Clare Monaghan, Senior Charge Midwife at the IRH, said: “Our service, So Briefly Known, will be held for the first time at the IRH next month.
“It is for anyone who has been affected by pregnancy or baby loss and gives families an opportunity to acknowledge how precious their baby’s life was, and what their loss means to them.”
Holly Wright, Bereavement Midwife at the RAH, added: “We know that Baby Loss Awareness Week can be a particularly difficult time for those affected and we want to encourage people to seek support if they need it.”
Further information on the support available to those who have experienced baby loss can be found at the following sites:
https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk
https://www.childbereavementuk.org
