Heartfelt message from Consultant Obstetrician to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week

“We are standing with you. There is hope.”

That is the heartfelt message from Antoinette Johnson, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, to families that have suffered the loss of a baby.

Today marks the start of Baby Loss Awareness Week, and Miss Johnson spoke to Eddie Nestor on BBC Radio London to share the support and help available at our hospitals for grieving families.

She said: “Losing a baby is a completely devastating and life-changing event that stays with you forever.

“It’s very important that support is available, and our caring and dedicated staff provide a range of support for families – such as specialist counselling, and clinics for women who have had miscarriages.”

Earlier this year maternity units at Epsom and St Helier scored the best in London by hundreds of mums who took part in a CQC survey.

Mums said they had a higher level of trust and confidence in staff caring for them and there was an improvement regarding partners being able to stay and be involved in care. They were also praised for their kindness and compassion.

Miss Johnson said: “Our caring and dedicated staff provide a range of support for families – such as specialist counselling, and clinics for women who have had miscarriages.

“We also have a bereavement midwife, who provides emotional and practical help to families who are going through the loss of a baby.

“If a woman who has experienced baby loss in the past falls pregnant again, we ensure they receive additional care and support from our teams.”

Baby Loss Awareness Week takes place every year from 9 - 15 October with families across the world remembering the lives of their babies.

The end of the week is marked with the global Wave of Light where candles are lit as part of international Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.

Sending a message to anyone who has suffered a loss, Miss Johnson said: “We are standing with you.

“We are always working to improve our services, we listen to mums to make a difference in how we provide our care and we know that there is always hope.

“Having a baby loss does not mean you won’t have a family of your own. There is always hope.”

You can listen to the entire interview here.