The leaflet is detailed below, or you can download 'Pregnancy loss under 24 weeks where baby has shown no signs of life' leaflet in PDF.
Introduction
If your baby was stillborn from the 24th week of pregnancy or born alive and then sadly died please read leaflet honeysuckle-leaflet-over-16-weeks-gestation.pdf (liverpoolwomens.nhs.uk)
The Honeysuckle Team are the dedicated baby bereavement team at Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust. The team consists of 2 bereavement specialist midwives, Marie Kelleher and Pauline McBurnie, and a bereavement support officer, Sarah Martin. We are very sorry for your loss; please accept our sincere condolences.
We have designed this booklet to ensure that you and your family are fully aware of the choices available, and the formalities involved at this difficult time.
The Honeysuckle Team offer practical advice and guidance as well as ongoing emotional support, you can contact the team via telephone and email 0151 702 4151 / honeysuckle@lwh.nhs.uk
SANDS bereavement support app is free to download on smart phone or tablet. This app offers guidance on various topics such as saying goodbye to your baby, examinations/testing, funeral arrangements and support for friends and family - including children.
Options for the care of pregnancy remains
When a baby is born before the 24th week of pregnancy and shows no signs of life, there is no legal requirement to have a funeral.
If your baby was stillborn from the 24th week of pregnancy or born alive and then sadly died, please read leaflet honeysuckle-leaflet-over-16-weeks-gestation.pdf (liverpoolwomens.nhs.uk)
This information has been devised in accordance with Human Tissue Authority guidance. https://www.hta.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Guidance_on_the_disposal_of_pregnancy_re mains.pdf
There are 3 options that you can decide between to honour your baby:
Communal Cremation
With your consent The Honeysuckle Team organise a communal cremation.
A communal cremation is when 12 babies are cremated together at Springwood crematorium.
Following the cremation, the ashes are scattered in the baby garden of remembrance within the grounds of the crematorium.
Please note if you sign consent for communal cremation and wish to be provided with more information you must contact The Honeysuckle Team within 14 days.
Please be rest assured that your baby will be looked after and that the communal cremation is carried out in a dignified and respectful manner.
Baby Remembrance Garden, Springwood Crematorium, Springwood Avenue, Allerton, L25 7UN
Arranging burial or cremation via a funeral director
It is possible to arrange an individual burial or cremation for a pregnancy loss at any stage of pregnancy - if you wish to do this you will need to appoint a local funeral director.
The Honeysuckle Team are able to provide you with advice and guidance on arranging a funeral and can make initial contact with funeral directors on your behalf if you wish. Most funeral directors in the local area do not charge any fees when making arrangements for a baby or child’s funeral.
Please note if you sign consent to make arrangements with a funeral director you need to make your arrangements within 12 weeks. If you have not contacted a funeral director or The Honeysuckle Team within this time a communal cremation will take place in accordance with Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust procedures.
Taking pregnancy remains/baby home from the hospital
You can take your pregnancy remains/baby home with you to bury in a planter with flowers or a plant in the garden; this is a personal choice and there are no regulations to prevent you doing whatever feels right for you.
If you decide to do this, there are certain requirements that need to be met. It is advisable to think carefully about what you will do with your pregnancy remains/baby and consider any associated restrictions which might exist, for example in relation to burial on a home property. For further guidance please visit guidance-for-burials-on-private-land.pdf (fdean.gov.uk) The Environment Agency is also a good source of advice on this matter. Environment Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you would like to discuss these options in more detail, please contact The Honeysuckle Team for support please call or email the team - 0151 702 4151 / honeysuckle@lwh.nhs.uk
If you do not make a decision or do not contact The Honeysuckle Team to confirm your decision the team will attempt to contact you. If the team are not able to reach you within 12 weeks they will make arrangements for communal cremation in accordance with Human Tissue Authority (HTA) guidance and local hospital procedure.
Please note when a pregnancy loss occurs under 12 weeks gestation and histopathology testing has been requested, if no fetal tissue is identified, Royal Liverpool University Hospital can make arrangements for respectful disposal of the remaining tissue according to their standard procedure.
When fetal tissue is identified microscopically, its presence is commented on within the pathology report, but as this is embedded in a paraffin block and part of the diagnostic record, this is not returned unless a patient specifically asks to have the blocks and slides returned. For more information regarding this please read leaflet ‘Experiencing a pregnancy loss under 12 weeks’ pregnancy-loss-under-12-weeks-gestation-leaflet.pdf (liverpoolwomens.nhs.uk)
Making Memories
The Honeysuckle Team are passionate about promoting positive memories for bereaved families.
Your nurse / midwife will support your choices for memory making. If your baby died before birth and had not completed 24 weeks of pregnancy (legally described as a miscarriage), their death cannot be officially registered. Acknowledgment of life certificates are available for anyone who experiences a pregnancy loss under 24 weeks. These are provided in the memory boxes. If this is something you would like please ask the nurse / midwife caring for you who can provide this, alternatively should you wish to make your own you can download a template from SANDS website www.sands.org.uk
Memory Box
Your nurse / midwife should offer you a memory box, if you have not been given one, please ask the staff looking after you. The box is a special place for keepsakes to remember your baby and pregnancy. This could include a scan picture, where possible, photographs, hand and foot prints, or any cards that you might receive. For babies born very early it may not always be possible to take hand and foot prints but you may still like to have a box for other memories. A memory box can help you acknowledge your grief and talk about your pregnancy / baby with family and friends.
Blessing
A short blessing or naming ceremony can be arranged with the hospital’s on call chaplaincy team who would usually provide this service. Ask your nurse or midwife to make contact with the chaplaincy team. If the chaplaincy team are not available another staff member at the hospital can conduct a blessing on their behalf – your nurse or midwife will support you with this. You may wish to record or stream this for family and friends to watch.
Memorial Book
There is a book of remembrance located in the chapel at LWH. If you would like your baby’s name to be added to the book please email our hospital chaplain Christine.dickinson@lwh.nhs.uk with the following details of your baby: baby/babies name, the date that you delivered or the date your baby was born and the date baby died. Christine will then be able to place these into the book of remembrance.
Memorial Garden
There is a garden dedicated to our honeysuckle families. You are welcome to visit the garden at any time and can access from the main reception of the hospital.Within the garden there is a metal love lock tree. You may wish to purchase a padlock with your baby’s name or a small message inscribed to hang on the tree. If you would like to order a lock please visit Ladybugs Picnic Wirral - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LadybugsPicnicWirral
Naming Your Baby
Some parents decide to give their baby a name, as this gives them their own identity and can make it easy to talk about them. Some parents use a nickname they may have chosen during their pregnancy. You do not have to name your baby if this does not feel right for you.
Seeing and Holding Your Baby
Once your baby is born, you may begin to think about the choices you want to make, for example, you can think about whether you want to see and hold your baby. You might have already started thinking about these decisions in the time before you delivered. Your nurse or midwife will support you with this. If you are not sure about seeing your baby or anxious about how your baby will look you could ask your nurse or midwife to show you a photograph or ask them to describe your baby to you. If you would like to see your baby and this is not suggested, please ask the staff caring for you.
Hand and Footprints
For babies born very early it may not always be possible to take hand and footprints. When possible, your nurse or midwife will offer and if accepted will try to take ink prints of your baby’s hands and feet. You may choose to incorporate the prints into images, tattoos, and jewellery. You may want a few sets of these prints to give to family members who are not able to meet your baby.
Photographs
Your nurse or midwife will usually offer to take photos of your baby. You can also take your own photographs of your baby. Some parents like to have photographs of their baby’s hands and feet, others may also wish to have a photo of them holding their baby. Should you agree to photographs being taken but you do not wish to look at the photos, you can request for them to be given to you in a sealed envelope. You can then look at them at a later date if you wish, or you can give them to family members or friends. If you do not wish for photographs to be taken, then please inform the nurse / midwife caring for you.
Dressing Your Baby
You may want to dress your baby, or you could ask your nurse or midwife to assist you with this. We have suitable clothing, wraps, blankets and angel pouches for all gestations and your nurse / midwife can support you with your choices. If your baby’s condition makes dressing them difficult, you may want to wrap them in a blanket or something similar.
On-going keepsakes
In addition to the keepsakes, you collect from your pregnancy or soon after you baby is born, there may be other things that form valuable keepsakes in the future. Among these things could include poems, letters, emails, cards and jewellery.
Support for you and your family
The Honeysuckle Team run a monthly support group for parents and grandparents, with guest speakers, a library of books, craft table and refreshments provided. The support group is facilitated by Honeysuckle Team’s bereavement specialist midwives Please check The Honeysuckle Team web page for up to date information about support group sessions Honeysuckle Bereavement Service - Liverpool Womens NHS Foundation Trust
The Honeysuckle Team run biweekly wellbeing and football sessions for men in partnership with LFC Foundation. The sessions are facilitated by Honeysuckle Team’s bereavement specialist midwives and LFC Foundation’s mental health coaches. Sessions take place at Leisure United – Jeffrey Humble, Long Lane, Aintree, L9 6AG. For more information, please contact honeysuckle@lwh.nhs.uk
The Honeysuckle Team are active on social media. We have our own Facebook page Honeysuckle Bond and two private closed Facebook pages one for families and one for Dads who have suffered the loss of a baby. To join one of the private groups, go onto our Facebook page and request to join Honeysuckle Community Page or Honeysuckle Dad’s Group. If you request to join one of the private groups, please also send Honeysuckle Bond a direct message so the team can ensure you are added.
Joining social media groups can be a meaningful way of honouring your baby’s memory alongside other bereaved families and a helpful part of your grief journey. Sharing time with other families might help you feel less isolated in your grief.
Attending events
Attending remembrance events can be a meaningful way of honouring your baby's memory alongside other bereaved families and a helpful part of your grief journey. Sharing this time with other families might help you feel less isolated in your grief.
Baby Loss Awareness Week Baby Loss Awareness Week – Break the silence around baby loss (babyloss-awareness.org) is held every year between 9-15th October and ends with an international wave of light at 7pm on 15 October for parents to remember their baby at the same time as others across the world. It is during this week’s we usually hold Liverpool Women’s baby loss remembrance service. For up-to-date information on this years’ service please follow Liverpool Women’s on social media or via website Honeysuckle Bereavement Service - Liverpool Womens NHS Foundation Trust.
If you would like to be added to our mailing list please email your details to honeysuckle@lwh.nhs.uk and we can ensure you are invited and advised of all future events.
Should you wish to contact the team to discuss anything in this leaflet further, please contact us by telephone or email or if you are an inpatient and wish a face-to-face visit, please discuss this with your nurse or midwife who will contact the team on your behalf.
There are lots of organisations The Honeysuckle Team work with who can offer you and your family support.
Child Bereavement UK is particularly helpful if you have children in your family and are concerned with speaking to them about what has happened. They have devised leaflets available on their website for help in talking to children about bereavement.
Helpful organisations:
Liverpool Bereavement Services – provides counselling support in Liverpool for under 20 weeks gestation 0151 236 3932 / https://liverpoolbereavement.com/
Love Jasmine – provides counselling support in Liverpool for over 20 weeks gestation
0151 459 4779 / https://www.lovejasmine.org.uk/
Antenatal Results and Choices ( ARC ) – Offers information and support for parents making decisions around antenatal testing, including when a baby has a significant anomaly. https://www.arc-uk.org/
Child Bereavement UK National organisation providing support to families when a baby or child has died and offers support for children faced with bereavement.
0800 028 8840 / https://www.childbereavementuk.org/
Children of Jannah – Organisation providing support to Muslim families after the loss of a baby or child https://childrenofjannah.com/how-we-can-help/
The Compassionate Friends – Organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents that offer support to other after the death of a child. www.tcf.org.uk
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust – Provides support and information for people who have had or been affected by an ectopic pregnancy. 020 7733 2653 / https://ectopic.org.uk/
Fertility Network UK – Provides support to people dealing with infertility and/or who are facing involuntary childlessness. www.fertilitynetworkuk.org
The Miscarriage Association – National organisation offering support and information for individuals affected by pregnancy loss. 01924 200 799 / https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/
Multiple Births Foundation ( MBF ) – Provides support and information for multiple birth families, including bereavement support. www.multiplebirths.org.uk
Muslim Bereavement Support Service – Provides support and information to Muslim families following a bereavement 020 3468 7333 / http://mbss.org.uk/
Sakoon – Provides an Islamic perspective in counselling for Muslims Islamic counselling, Muslim counselling - Incorporate Islam in Counselling (sakoon.co.uk)
Samaritans – Offers confidential support, available 24 hours a day to people who need to talk.
Telephone 116 123 / https://www.samaritans.org/
SANDs – Provides support and information for anyone affected by the death of a baby, before or after birth.
020 7436 5881 / https://www.sands.org.uk/
Twins Trust – offers support to families who have lost one or more children from a multiple birth.
Twins Trust | Bereavement Service / bereavementsupport@twinstrust.org
