Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15 October 2019) offers a platform for all charities who work towards improving rates of healthy births, such as Genesis Research Trust, to work together to raise both awareness and political urgency to drive improvements to current statistics.
The theme of the week is “Break the Silence”, encouraging discussion of baby loss and highlighting that it is common and indiscriminate. Tying in with this we are running our “#FakeSmileSelfie” campaign.
There are various other ways to support Baby Loss Awareness Week:
Wear the ribbon pin badge
Post a selfie with your badge to social media, with hashtags #BLAW2019 and #babyloss. N.B. The related social Media accounts are @BLA_Campaign on Twitter and @babyloss on Instagram. Read more.
Help to Turn the UK Pink and Blue
A major initiative for BLAW 2019 is to illuminate public buildings with pink and blue. Seek permission from the appropriate contacts within local authorities to light up landmarks to raise awareness – and in memory – of baby loss. Read more.
Join the global “Wave of Light”
Light a candle at 7pm on October 15th; International Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Share you photo on social media using the hashtag “#WaveOfLight”.
Get the Twibbon
Leverage social media further by adding a ribbon to your Twitter profile picture. Read more.
Display a ribbon in a public place
Seek permission to put a pink and blue ribbon on a tree, fence or wall in a public building or workplace. Read more.
Display the poster
Help to spread awareness of BLAW by seeking permission to put up the poster in a local shop or public place.
Contact Local Media
Spread the word about your initiatives by sending a press release to your local newspaper. To help, a template press release for a remembrance event is here, and for illumination of a public building, here.
Contact a Local Politician
Write to your MP or an NHS decision-maker to highlight how many people are affected by preventable baby loss and to urge the government to maintain its commitment to reducing stillbirth, maternal mortality and neonatal mortality. N.B. Neonatal mortality has in fact increase since 2014, despite the claim that the statistic are improving due to following guidance published the same year. (see section 4, paragraph 7).
Keep up to date
Subscribe to BLAW updates here.
The impact of last year’s Baby Loss Awareness Week [PDF].