Gavin Newlands MP marks Baby Loss Awareness Week
Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, as marked the Baby Loss Awareness Week taking place between 9th and 15th October and has called for better bereavement care for people affected by pregnancy and baby loss.
Baby Loss Awareness Week is an annual international event which unites bereaved parents, family members and friends with others across the world to commemorate the all-too-brief lives of their babies. The Week also provides an opportunity to talk about the issues surrounding pregnancy and baby loss in the UK, and what positive changes could be made.
This year, Baby Loss Awareness Week focuses on improved bereavement care. Good bereavement care is vital for anyone who has lost a baby before, during or after birth. Relevant services can include psychological and emotional support including memory making; information on support available; advice on benefits, discussions with employers and funeral arrangements. Sometimes bereavement care services will be involved prior to a baby or infant’s death, when illness or problems in pregnancy mean that the death is anticipated.
In the UK, Baby Loss Awareness Week is a collaboration between more than 40 charities.
Gavin Newlands, SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, commented: “Baby Loss Awareness Week provides an opportunity to raise awareness of issues surrounding pregnancy and baby loss and push for tangible improvements in the services available to families. It is also an opportunity to let the public know about the work of charities and support organisations.
“Anyone who goes through the tragedy of losing a child should receive all the support and help that they require. I urge the UK Government to provide wider support for bereaved families, in particular look at the level of support provided via bereavement support payment. We should provide the best level of support to parents who have lost a child, and to do so in a way that does not require parents to navigate a complicated administrative process.”
