Calls for wider emotional support for families who lose a baby at the Royal Stoke

There are calls for wider mental health support at Staffordshire's main hospital for families who've tragically lost a baby.

"If you lose in pregnancy from any time up until 16 weeks, then there is no mental health support unless you reach out." says Chiara Barbaro, perinatal mental health support worker at the Royal Stoke.

"There needs to be a bereavement pathway from the earliest loss until you lose your grandparents.

"There needs to be something like that, which other other trusts have, but we don't yet."

Chiara uses her lived experiences to help others across Staffordshire after she lost her own baby in pregnancy back in January 2017.

"I wouldn't be here without bereavement support" she said.

"It was a very very dark time."

UHNM, the trust which runs the Royal Stoke, has a dedicated team of support staff including Bereavement Midwives and Neonatal Nurses who have specific training to support families following the loss of a baby.

The trust says that memory making is integral to the support they offer to parents and extended family and is guided by the needs and wishes of parents during such a difficult time.

There are three separate bereavement areas at the Royal Stoke

Two “Forget-me –not suites” are based on Delivery Suite in the Maternity Centre but away from the main department. These have separate access to the general entrance of the Delivery Suite.

The Snowdrop Suite is on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which has two inter-connecting rooms and again is away from main department. This room is offered to all parents but some parents choose to stay on the main ward area.

These three areas are strategically placed to be part of the each unit but avoid unnecessary stress and upset to parents and extended families who are grieving for their baby, to protect them from ward activity and noise.

Gaps in support

"We have got two brilliant bereavement midwives at the hospital." added Chiara.

"But again, capacity means that you only meet them if you lose from 16 weeks pregnant.

"So with me I was 12 weeks I never met them, it's that gap in support, there is no mental health support there unless you reach out.

"I always say to the moms that I support, spoiler alert, it's going to be a really difficult pregnancy, and birth and beyond! You know, my boys coming up to five now and I still battle with intrusive thoughts after the loss."

A spokesperson at UHNM trust said: "Within the midwifery and nursing departments, there are also speciality working groups, who regularly update and support staff and strive to make continued improvements to our service.

"We work closely with bereaved families and appreciate any feedback or ideas for improvements to ensure our service remains of the highest quality.

"Memory bags are offered to women in the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit at Royal Stoke and plans are in progress to create a separate bereavement room for those women who are not required to go the delivery suite where some families use the Forget me not Suite."

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