Baby Loss Awareness Week is an important time for nurses working in early pregnancy care and also for nurses working in areas that may care for women in early pregnancy. It is a time to reflect, honour and stand with everyone affected by pregnancy and baby loss. It is a time to highlight how experiences & feelings differ, how often it occurs & it is a time to educate.

Did you know?

• 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage
• 1 in 80 pregnancies are ectopic
• 1 in 600 pregnancies are molar.

These losses often happen in silence, before anyone knew, but they are no less real, and no less deserving of care.

For some, early pregnancy loss has a significant impact on health. For others it does not. For some, early pregnancy loss is a bereavement. For others, it may not feel that way — and that’s OK. Feelings are valid, whatever they are. Experiences are varied and individual. You don’t have to grieve in a certain way, and you don’t have to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week if it doesn’t feel right.

Most early pregnancy care happens in Early Pregnancy Assessment Units or Clinics. These services are run by an MDT of specialists. When care happens outside specialist services, it can fall short. That’s why the RCN has released new Pregnancy Loss Guidance, supporting all healthcare professionals to deliver compassionate, informed care — in every setting.

The RCN also offer several other early pregnancy resources. The links below provide a wealth of other information and support for nurses and if required, for those who have experienced loss.

This week, we remember. We support. And we call for better.

Whether you're grieving, remembering, learning or simply navigating — you are not alone. 

Useful links

• Sands
• Miscarriage Association

• The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

• Tommy's
• Association of Early Pregnancy Units

#BLAW #BabyLossAwareness #WaveOfLight #EarlyPregnancyLoss #Miscarriage #EctopicPregnancy #MolarPregnancy #RCN #YouAreNotAlone #1in4