Leeds has a Bereavement Midwife who is trained to care for and support women and families who suffer the loss of a baby in pregnancy or the first week of life. She is responsible for offering emotional support, information and practical guidance to women who:
- Experience miscarriage from 14 weeks.
- Experience stillbirth or neonatal death (this means in the first week of life).
- Have an on-going pregnancy but the baby is expected to die.
- Choose to have a termination of pregnancy because of abnormalities.
- Have another pregnancy following the loss of a baby.
A Specialist Bereavement Midwife is someone who understands that the parents of a baby who has died will be faced with many difficult decisions and emotions. She can explain all the different options and choices at a time of great difficulty and sadness. This means that families have a dedicated person to contact whenever they have questions or requests, or simply want to talk.
You can find out more and self-refer by calling 07920 029 180 or 07766 862 627. Find more information in our MindWell service directory.
If you have lost a baby or child but you do not fit the criteria above, you can find more information about bereavement support for parents in the Leeds Bereavement Forum Directory – the LBF service has now closed, but their website is still available. This includes local services, national helplines and useful websites.
Women (and their partners) who have experienced the loss of a baby through an Ectopic pregnancy can find information and support through The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust.
If you need to talk to someone urgently about how you are feeling – you can find help here.