New £100,000 bereavement suite for grieving parents
‘RELAXING ENVIRONMENT’: The new suite at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
Grieving parents will deliver babies who have died in pregnancy in a new, tranquil setting at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.
The new £100,000 bereavement suite on the hospital’s Labour Ward has been developed to help families after they discover their babies have died during pregnancy or shortly after birth.
Refurbished with the support of hospital charity WISHH, parents will be taken to the suite for delivery and will be able to spend as long as they wish with their babies after they’ve been delivered.
Jenna Cadden, lead bereavement midwife at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital, said the new suite provides a tranquil, homely environment to provide a haven for families at a painful time in their lives.
She said: “We hope this new suite will make what is a terrible time for parents a little less intimidating and as close to a normal experience as possible.
“Feedback from parents has helped us with the design and we’ve improved soundproofing to cut down on the noise from the Labour Ward, which families can find upsetting.
“Many parents who have experienced the loss of their own babies have raised funds for the new suite so we’d like to say a massive thank you to them for thinking about other people despite what they’re already going through.”
The new suite features an entrance area to separate the suite from the rest of the Labour Ward before the room opens up into a clinical area. It’s been decorated in relaxing, muted colours with soft furnishings and artwork to provide a more relaxing environment for families.
The suite also includes an adjoining room for parents to use after their baby has been delivered, with a double bed, sofa, TV and kitchen, with a kettle and microwave.
A “cold cot” will allow the parents to spend time with their baby. There will also be open access visiting to the area, allowing relatives including other children to visit if the parents wish.
Jenna said: “This will help us improve the overall experience, making this as peaceful an experience as we possibly can. While some families wish to have their baby and go home, others wish to spend a few days with their baby so we will not be rushing anyone away.”