More than half of UK adults shy away from conversations about baby loss with people who have been affected, a new poll has found.1
In a YouGov survey for Tommy’s, the pregnancy and baby charity, 53% of respondents said either they ‘would not know what to say’ or ‘would worry about saying the wrong thing’ to a friend, family member or colleague who had experienced a loss.
Only 12% were ‘very confident’ they would know what to say to someone whose pregnancy ended in loss, or who had a premature baby in need of hospital care.
This is even though millions in the UK are touched every year by pregnancy complications and baby loss.2
Tommy’s - the UK's leading charitable funder of pregnancy research - has developed a guide to help people begin conversations with others who have been affected.
And it is shining a light on the lifelong impact of baby loss through its Projecting Life campaign, which on Friday 28th February comes to London’s historic Leadenhall Market with an immersive experience for thousands of visitors.
The campaign features images and film footage of children and their shadows in different scenarios, always with at least one more shadow than there are living children.
Dr Jyotsna Vohra, Director of Research, Programmes and Impact at Tommy’s, said:
"The trauma of pregnancy loss or giving birth prematurely is too often compounded by a sense of isolation and even shame.
“We must end the silence around these experiences, and move further and faster towards our goal of making pregnancy and birth safe for everyone.
“Projecting Life shows very powerfully that children who are lost are never forgotten. It encourages us all to recognise that and to talk about it without fear. Through those conversations and by raising awareness, together we can drive the change needed to save more babies’ lives.”
The conversation guide created by Tommy’s offers advice and reassurance about speaking – and listening - to friends, family members and colleagues who are grieving a pregnancy loss or whose premature baby is being cared for in hospital.
It has been shaped by what parents have shared with Tommy’s about their experiences.
