Charity's £100,000 appeal for baby loss unit

An appeal has been launched to raise £100,000 to improve hospital facilities for families who have lost babies.

The money will be used to refurbish the bereavement suite at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital on Anlaby Road, Hull.

The hospital's charity WISHH said the space was used by more than 100 families over the last year.

It provides quiet rooms to allow families to spend time with their baby and receive counselling.

One family which used the centre said it had made a "horrific experience a little bit easier".

"The memories we made whilst in the hospital are something we will hold close forever, since we cannot hold our little boy," they said.

"Our angel baby lives on in our memories. The photos, memory boxes, hand and foot castings are something we will treasure forever, and all of this was provided for us as a family whilst we were in the bereavement suite.”

The refurbishment will provide a self-contained living area with a clinical room, catering and bathroom facilities, where parents can stay after birth to make memories with their baby, the charity said.

It will also be soundproofed so families do not hear crying babies and have its own entrance and exit.

Bereavement midwife Ainsley Belton said: “As a team, we always try to make people feel as best cared for as possible with a compassionate and empathetic approach.

"Through the WISHH Baby Loss Appeal, funds raised will improve the current bereavement facilities, enabling us to take our patients and their families into a well thought out, calming space in their darkest of times, which will help us tremendously.

"Having the opportunity for the parents to make memories with their baby is a privilege to us as a team."

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