Parents in England who have lost a baby early in a pregnancy can now receive a certificate to recognise their loss.
Those who experience a loss within the first 24 weeks of a pregnancy can receive the document as part of the government’s new baby loss certificate scheme.
The government says the scheme has been introduced to formally recognise the devastating impact of losing a child so early on during pregnancy.
Babies stillborn before 24 weeks do not need to be officially registered, and campaigners say this has left some parents feeling ignored.
The new certificates, which are not compulsory, will be official but not legal documents.
The certificates will be available from today for either parent living in England at the time to access after any miscarriage or other type of pre-24 week baby loss that has occurred since September 2018, with the government planning to expand eligibility in the near future.
The NHS defines miscarriage as the loss of a pregnancy during the first 23 weeks.
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On a visit to a family bereavement centre at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south London, government minister Maria Caulfield said parents who lose a baby before 24 weeks can feel there is a “lack of recognition of that baby”.
“Getting an official certificate means a lot. Parents feel it’s so important to see their baby’s name on a certificate that they can share with family, and friends and remember that baby,” said Ms Caulfield, minister for the government’s Women’s Health Strategy.
“We’ve had parents user-testing the system which is why it’s taken a little bit longer to get up and running than we would have liked.
“It’s a very difficult time for parents, even if they don’t do it straight away… so we want to make it as easy as possible.”
Asked about calls to introduce statutory leave for bereaved parents who have lost a baby before 24 weeks, she said: “We are looking at that.
“Many employers want to support those parents that work for them, but aren’t always sure how to, so it’s about raising awareness and showcasing best practice that will really help parents at difficult times.”
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Losing a baby can be a hugely traumatic event and the introduction of certificates to formally acknowledge the loss of life is a positive step towards better supporting women and parents affected.”
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Kath Abrahams, chief executive of Tommy’s, the pregnancy research and baby loss charity, said: “This announcement will be warmly welcomed by many in our community.
“The pain of losing a baby before 24 weeks is often made even worse for bereaved parents because there is no formal recognition of their experience.
“We’re pleased that baby loss certificates will now be available to provide a degree of comfort for at least some of those families.”
But Ms Abrahams said miscarriage remains a “largely hidden problem” because of a lack of government commitment to gathering statistics on the issue.
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“More must be done to formally record losses before 24 weeks,” she continued.
“We cannot begin to tackle the wider problem of baby loss without a government commitment to gather and record UK-wide miscarriage statistics.
“Without data, miscarriage remains a largely hidden problem and isn’t prioritised, despite the tens of thousands of families affected by it every year.”
