A SERVICE of remembrance service for babies who died before or after birth is being organised by the University Maternity Hospital Limerick (UMHL) at the Church of the Holy Rosary, Ennis Road, Limerick on Sunday, November 5, starting at 3pm.
Parents who have experienced the death of their baby or pregnancy loss at any stage, together with their family, friends and hospital staff, are all welcome to attend.
This is an annual event organised by the Counselling Department and Midwifery staff at UMHL and people are welcome to stay after the service for a chat and a cup of tea.
The organisers ask that people attending the service show sensitivity to newly bereaved families by using the quiet space available for crying babies and young children.
Speaking ahead of the service, bereavement counselling midwife Marie Hunt said: “The death of a baby is recognised as one of the most difficult bereavements in life and something which has a lifelong impact on parents and families”.
“The service aims to acknowledge the pregnancies that were lost and the lives of babies who have died through ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. We welcome parents and families whose babies may have died many years ago as well as those more recently bereaved.
“Perinatal grief is a unique experience as parents grieve for their longed-for babies and the hopes and dreams they had for them. The annual remembrance service is a very special event which brings parents and families together in their grief and acknowledges the short lives of their babies,”she said.
