Marking Baby Loss Awareness Week (9 – 15 October)
This story contains discussion of baby loss, stillbirth and termination for medical reasons. Please take care while reading and access support if needed.
Baby Loss Awareness Week 2026 takes place from 9 – 15 October 2026 in the UK, providing a crucial opportunity to raise awareness, break the silence, and support bereaved families.
Our West Yorkshire Paths service offers psychological therapy and midwifery interventions for women and birthing people who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health needs from birth trauma and/or baby loss.
Read the moving story of someone supported by our Paths service:
“In 2022, I found out I was pregnant and everything was perfect until the 20-week scan. At the scan, abnormalities were identified. After further tests, I was delivered the devastating news that my baby would most likely be stillborn or die shortly after birth. As a result, I was given the option to terminate my pregnancy.
“Having to say goodbye to your much wanted and loved baby is soul destroying. I walked through the next few weeks in a trance and had to give birth in a room just off the labour ward. To say I was broken in mind, body and soul does not even begin to describe the pain I felt. It will forever be the worst and most harrowing day of my life.
“When I first spoke to the Paths team, I didn’t know if I would be accepted on to the programme. Was my grief valid? I still had a lot of guilt and low self-worth due to my experience.
“Working with an experienced psychologist was exactly what I needed. I had to dig deep and confront some deeply distressing memories. I did not want to but I needed to as I was supressing my memories and not processing them. We always went at my pace and I was always made to feel very comfortable in sessions.
“Through my work with Paths, I learnt to let go of some of the guilt which helped me to remember my baby and to think of him in a positive light, knowing he will always be part of me. My loss is part of my journey. I am a different person now and Paths helped me accept that.
“I have always found writing therapeutic and Paths helped me to journal about my baby. This was an empowering, creative experience and I was able to channel my grief and sadness through poetry, drawings, paintings and words. This worked wonderfully alongside my therapy sessions.
“Last October – my baby’s due date – I was able to breathe again. Usually Autumn triggers me; the turning colours, the crunching leaves. I could finally look at a tree without feeling panic and that is thanks to Paths. Grief is a part of me and I am learning to live with it. I am so grateful to everyone at Paths. They have helped me to see the light again.”
Do you or someone you know need support?
If you have experienced baby loss and are struggling with your emotional wellbeing, support is available.
West Yorkshire Paths provides specialist psychological therapy and midwifery support for women and birthing people affected by birth trauma and baby loss.
Find out more about the service and referral information on the Paths website.
You can also speak to your GP, midwife, health visitor or other healthcare professional for advice about local support available to you.
