Hello,

I have created this website to help raise money for 'SANDS Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Charity'. In memory of my beautiful son Lucas Hicks Birch. Who was born on 09.12.08 & passed away on 14.12.08.

It's only recently that i've started looking at the SANDS website and realised that i want to do something to help raise money for the charity. It's nice to know that this charity wants to support parents & families or friends who have been through the loss of a baby. SANDS wants to make a difference and help prevent the amount of babies who pass away everyday.

So i'm hoping by creating this website, we can all contribute what we can to help.

 

Sands is an organisation which can offer you support when your baby dies during pregnancy or after birth.

The death of a baby is a devastating experience. The effects of grief can be overwhelming and parents, their families and friends can be left feeling dazed, disorientated, isolated and exhausted.

It can be hard to take in information, to make decisions or to imagine how you are going to cope.

At Sands there are people who understand what it's like because many of us have been through this experience ourselves, and we are here to help offer support and information when you need it.

Support for all

The death of a baby can happen to any one of us. What brings us together in Sands is the common experience of this painful loss.

Your baby may have been stillborn or died during or soon after birth. He or she might have spent some time in a special care baby unit. It may be that your baby died at an earlier gestation or that you had to make the difficult decision to end your pregnancy. We offer support whenever a baby dies.

As well as supporting mothers and fathers, we are also able to help other members of your family, especially grandparents and other children. Many people may be touched by your baby's death, including friends and health professionals, and all are welcome to contact us for support and information.

You may not want anything from us right away. We are here to help whenever you feel you need it. That may be now or in a few weeks months or even years.

SANDS History

Over the past 25 years we have supported many thousands of families whose babies have died, offering emotional support, comfort and practical help.

However, we have done much more than offer desperately needed support.

When a baby dies the kind of care the parents receive from those looking after them and their baby has a huge impact on their perception of the experience, and how they cope and deal with their loss in the long term.

We have worked tirelessly with health professionals to revolutionise the care bereaved families receive in hospital. Gone are the days when stillborn babies were whisked away before their parents could see them, never being given the chance to welcome their babies into the world and say a proper goodbye.

Sands has fundamentally changed the way in which bereaved parents and their babies are cared for.

Seminal publications such as 'The Loss of your Baby', (1979), and 'Sands Guidelines for Professionals', which has been revised this year, with the 2007 edition now available, has resulted in midwives across the UK being properly trained on how to care for bereaved parents.

Sands also lobbied for several years to achieve the passing of the Stillbirth (Definition) Act 1992, changing the definition of stillbirth to a baby born after 24 weeks completed gestation (previously it had been 28 weeks). This was a major breakthrough, which had huge significance for parents - a baby who is stillborn is now recognised in law as an individual and so the baby's death must be registered and the baby buried or cremated.

Even simple things, such as the introduction of the Sands teardrop sticker, used on maternity and medical files, alerts health professionals that the mother has lost a baby, saving mothers in future pregnancies from misjudged questions and much heartache.

Much has been done to support those affected by the loss of a baby but with 17 babies stillborn or dying shortly after birth every day in the UK, there is much still to be done. We believe this figure is unacceptably high, and we want to ensure that as few parents as possible have to experience this devastating loss.

We are developing strong links with researchers and organisations in the UK and internationally. Together we are working to promote changes in practice which could help to save more babies' lives, and to identify and fund research which could further progress our understanding of stillbirth and neonatal death.

As part of this pledge we are hosting in October 2007 the International Stillbirth Alliance conference, Perinatal Loss: Improving care and prevention.

The conference will focus on perinatal loss - the human impact, the causes, and the possiblities for prevention. Its purpose is to gain insights and ideas for future collaborative initiatives to reduce the burden of perinatal death.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Please help & donate kindly

Regards

Caroline Hicks