Wave Of Light – Baby Loss Awareness Week 2023
The 9th to the 15th October 2023 is Baby Loss Awareness Week, a globally recognised event that provides an opportunity to come together as a community and give anyone touched by pregnancy and baby loss a safe and supportive space to share their experiences and feel that they are not alone.
The campaign began as a collaboration between a number of bereavement charities to provide information and support as well as for people to share their experiences.
The Baby Loss Awareness Week website provides an array of information and signposting for accessing support.
Every year Baby Loss Awareness Week ends with Wave of Light, an opportunity to light a candle to remember all babies that have dies too soon.
This year Wave of Light is taking place on the 15th October at 7pm.
Ahead of this years Wave of Light on of our team members wanted to share their experience and the importance of Wave of Light. Read their Story Below.
“Our eldest daughter and son-in-law are one the 13 families in the UK every day that suffer the heartbreak of losing their baby before, during or shortly after birth.
Our daughter had a text book pregnancy and Isabelle who was full term, had a difficult birth and died a few days after she was born.
As a parent, one of your roles is to support your child and try and protect them from pain and suffering. Due to our grief when Isabelle died, we reached out to SANDS, Freephone Helpline 0808 164 3332. The Helpline team offers a safe, confidential space for anyone affected by the death of a baby. They offer support by telephone or email and may be able to refer on to a local Sands Group.
SANDS helped us and the wider family support our daughter and son-in- law, and continue to do so. Isabelle would have been a teenager now, and we have reached to SANDS on things like ‘first’ event days such as what would have been her first day at full time school, the day she should have got her exam results etc.
When people ask how many Grandchildren we have, we say 7 and show pictures and explain why Isabelle is missing from the picture.
Every year we celebrate Isabelle’s Birthday and although she is always in our thoughts we take time out to specifically remember her on the day she died.
We also join each year with other families across the globe on October 15 the ‘Wave of Light’.
It would be great if you would join us on and simply light a candle either at home in safe place or virtually at 7pm local time and leave it burning for at least 1 hour to remember all babies that have died too soon.”
For more information
For further support or advice please visit the Baby Loss Awareness Week website here: https://babyloss-awareness.org/
