Lincolnshire’s hospitals to be lit up pink and blue for Baby Loss Awareness Week

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of national Baby Loss Awareness Week, and to mark the occasion all United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust hospital sites will be lit up pink and blue.

To start the week (Sunday 9 October to Saturday 15 October) there is a memorial service being held at St Botolph’s (The Stump) church in Boston at 4pm on Sunday 9 October, or the service can be watched virtually via Zoom. This is an opportunity for anyone touched by pregnancy or baby loss to reflect and come together.

There will also be a tree of remembrance at Lincoln County Hospital (LCH) and Pilgrim Hospital Boston (PHB) to allow patients and staff to leave tribute messages. Candles will also be available to light in remembrance.

St Ann’s chapel in Lincoln Cathedral will also be open for the week for anyone to light a candle and write a message. Bereavement support from the Trust will be available at the Cathedral from 11am until 2pm on Monday 10 October, Wednesday 12 October and Friday 14 October. 

Rachel Bond, Specialist Midwife, said: “This is an important week to talk about pregnancy and baby loss, to break down taboos and to highlight the support bereaved families need. It is also a time to thank everyone involved in bereavement care who support affected families.

“There are lots of ways you can get involved with Baby Loss Awareness Week and help raise awareness, information can be found via the Baby Loss Awareness Week website.”

Within the awareness week there is also a new maternity bereavement suite opening at Pilgrim hospital. The suite is an addition to the labour ward and will allow families to spend quality time with their babies in a private environment that makes a difficult experience slightly more bearable. The suite is being officially opened on Thursday 13 October at 10am.

To end the week, the Trust will be joining the global ‘wave of light’ by lighting a candle at 7pm on Saturday 15 October in memory of every baby who has died. The Trust will be sharing a virtual service prior to the lighting of a candle.