How Parents Who Have Experienced The Death Of A Baby Will Be Supported This Christmas

Parents who have experienced the death of a baby will be able to contact a national charity for support throughout the festive period.

Sands (Stillbirth and neonatal death charity) has extended their freephone opening hours to ensure all parents will be supported if they need it this Christmas.

The helpline will provide a safe place for anyone affected by the death of a baby, to seek comfort and be listened to.

“Bereaved parents tell us that Christmas can be highly emotional for them as they spend time with their close friends and families and remember their babies who have died,” said Dr Clea Harmer, chief executive of Sands.

“We have responded by extending the opening hours of our helpline at a time they may need us the most.”

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Dr Harmer urges anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby to get in touch if they feel they need to speak to someone.

And she wants to encourage people to call up, whatever stage they are in their grieving journey.

“We are dedicated to providing emotional support and information right from the early hours after a baby’s death, through to the weeks, months and years ahead,” she wrote.

One mother who recently used the helpline told Sands: “Thank you so much. You helped me find my words and let me be just me for the first time in a long time. No one else listens anymore.”

The Sands Helpline - 0808 164 3332 - will open during the following hours:
- Christmas Day - 10am-3pm and 7pm-9pm
- Boxing Day - 10am-3pm and 7pm-9pm
- 27 December to 29 December – 9.30am-5.30pm
- New Year’s Day – 10am-3pm
- 2 January – 9.30am-5.30pm.

Christmas is a struggle for parents who have experienced the death of a baby, as spending time with family makes you notice even more when someone is not there.

Dr Erin Hope Thompson, clinical psychologist and director of The Loss Foundation, explained this is because the buzz around Christmas is centred around family and everyone being joyful.

“The media craze around Christmas focuses on it as being a time of year for family, and a happy time,” she said.

“With both of those assumptions comes pressure - the pressure to spend time with people you might not ordinarily want to at other times of year, and the pressure to feel happy and enjoy it. There is very little in the Christmas media craze that reflects on what it’s like to spend Christmas time alone, or missing someone or something, or wishing you were elsewhere.”

For information and support:
Sands: Stillbirth and neonatal death charity with a helpline, information online and support groups.
Kicks Count: A charity empowering mums-to-be with knowledge and information about their baby’s movements to prevent baby loss.
Tommy’s: A charity funding research into stillbirth, premature birth and miscarriage, and providing information for parents-to-be.

Before You Go

What Exactly Is Quality Time When Your Kids Are Under Five?

Enjoying a good meal(01 of06)

Was it Confucius who said that bonding over food is the best way to bond? OK, maybe not - but lots of experts insist on it. Sitting down at the table with your children - and eating something healthy and hearty together not only encourages positive role modelling for children, it's also a great chance to get some uninterrupted QT. You can talk about the food you've prepared, your plans for the next day or the colour of peas - anything goes. Science has found eating meals as a family can help encourage everything from better (and more interesting) food choices to improved academic work to less stressed-out parents. Bonus points if you get your kids in on the food prep and cooking action from a young age. (credit:Petar Chernaev via Getty Images)

Reading, reading and then reading some more(02 of06)

Experts say that reading to your children every day makes the biggest impact in terms of their future academic success. It develops their language and literacy (as well as other cognitive skills), enhances their creativity and ignites their imaginations. Plus, getting children excited about books from a young age will help keep them unplugged from devices. An added bonus for exhausted parents? You can do it in bed. (credit:Weekend Images Inc. via Getty Images)

Letting them help(03 of06)

Modern life is full of chores. And those chores need to get done while we're busy looking after our children. Instead of plopping them in front of a TV programme the next time you need to empty the dishwasher or get dinner ready, get them involved in your day-to-day errands. Fact: no toddler has ever met a laundry basket they didn't like (and couldn't magic into a spaceship). (credit:PeopleImages via Getty Images)

Turning up the beat(04 of06)

No matter how exhausted, grumpy or uninspired you might be feeling, music always helps. And once you turn the music on, the impromptu dance party is likely to follow - and that's just fabulous, whether you're dancing around the Weetabix your three-year-old has just knocked onto the floor or shaking it in the bubble bath. (credit:laflor via Getty Images)

Embracing those short bursts of time(05 of06)

Sometimes, as parents, we feel we need to be able to devote hours to our children each day - and then we feel annoyed with ourselves when we realise we simply can't. Thing is, quality time with our tots can be found anytime and anywhere: walking to nursery, snuggling at bedtime, reading a book. Start to make the most of those short 10-15 minute time slots in the day. The secret to making it work? Don't let yourself be distracted by your pinging phone or that open laptop on the kitchen counter. (credit:pixelfit via Getty Images)

Booking a break together(06 of06)

There's no better way to embrace time with your little ones than by getting away from your day-to-day routine with an exciting mini-break. Only thing is, you want to go somewhere that's as relaxing for parents as it is exciting for tots. Cue Butlin's Just for Tots breaks, which have everything you - and your under-five - could possibly want.

Book a Butlin's Just for Tots getaway in easy-to-access seaside locations around the UK like Bognor Regis in West Sussex, Minehead in Somerset or Skegness in Lincolnshire for a few days of uninterrupted parent-child bonding time. The breaks have been designed especially for families with under-fives: think family-friendly dining options (yes, we mean dinner at 5pm if you like and Ella's Kitchen goodies for the younger set), where kids and parents can choose from a variety of healthy, tasty meals and buffet-style dining.

A Just for Tots break at Butlin's also includes a selection of drop-in activities that allow you to easily work around your tot's routine while giving them the time of their lives. Every day is a new adventure with exciting entertainment (live shows with their favourite stars like CBeebies' Justin Fletcher, Mr. Bloom and the Teletubbies™) and repeat performances in case your little one needs a nap or a snack during one of the showtimes. There are also Little Libraries (in association with Campbell Books) for fun reading sessions, Little Tikes Town and the opportunity to learn new skills, like bike riding with Balancability and swimming with Puddle Ducks™. There's your little treat for the New Year sorted then - only we're not sure if it's more of a treat for them or for you. (credit:Butlins)