The death of a baby at any gestation brings sadness and grief, and parents may be required to make difficult decisions. We know that losing a baby can be the hardest thing a mother and her family can go through. We offer a holistic bereavement service to provide emotional and practical support during this challenging time.
Specialist Bereavement midwives can provide practical and emotional support for parents during the immediate time, after a pregnancy loss and the weeks that follow. They can visit women and their families at home and continue to keep in contact with them until after their follow-up appointments with their consultant.
Both sites at the Cumberland infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital have bereavement suites that may be available to families whilst they stay in hospital and there is support available from the maternity staff and the chaplaincy team during your stay.
Other support organisations:
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Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) – offers non-directive information and support for parents making decisions around antenatal testing, including when a baby has a significant anomaly.
- Bliss – Offers support for families of premature or sick babies, including bereaved families.
- Child Bereavement UK (CBUK) – offers support for families when a baby or child has died or is dying and offers support for children faced with bereavement.
- Cruse Bereavement care – Offers support to bereaved people.
- Jobcentre Plus – Bereavement Services Helpline – provides information about benefit claims.
- Lullaby Trust – offers support and advice for parents whose baby dies suddenly and advice on safer sleep.
- Money advice service – provides free and impartial money advice, including information for bereaved parents about benefits and entitlements after the death of their baby.
- Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity – provides support and information for anyone affected by the death of a baby, before or after birth. National helpline, local parent-led support, literature and online support.
- Local Sands group number (Carlisle) 07923 480416
- Tamba Bereavement support group – offers support for families who have lost one or more children from a multiple birth during pregnancy, birth or at any time afterwards. Htpps://tamba.org.uk/bereavement (part of the twins and multiple births association.
- Winstons Wish – offers support to bereaved children, their families and professionals.
- Team Evie is a local are a local charity who help support families who have suffered loss of baby and sick children.
- Tommy’s offer a wide range of resources, tools and services for families who experience baby loss or premature birth.
- Tigerlily Trust are passionate about helping to break the silence surrounding baby loss, and uniting people travelling this often very lonely path.