Special service will help families mark baby loss

Two women standing in woodlands and putting Christmas decorations on a tree in the shape of white starts. They are both wearing coats and smiling at the camera.Image source, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Image caption,

L-R Sophie Wort, Bereavement Midwife and Nicola Simpson, Bereavement Maternity Care Assistant

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Families who have been affected by baby loss are coming together for a special Christmas remembrance service.

The event will be held at the Baby Bereavement Garden at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, at 18:00 GMT on Monday.

Bereavement midwife Sophie Wort said: "For those who have lost a baby or a child, our Christmas service offers families an opportunity to come together and to remember the life of their little one, no matter how brief or short that was."

A spokesperson for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust said the service would be for anyone "who has sadly been affected by such a loss and will help those attending remember and reflect."

The design of the garden was funded by Mid and South Essex Hospitals Charity and opened two years ago, during a Baby Loss Awareness Week.

It is in a quiet location where families impacted by loss can take their baby, away from the ward, to make lasting memories.

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