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Wales: ‘Cuddle pockets’ introduced for parents of stillborn babies

The Welsh Ambulance Service has become one of the first in the country to introduce handmade ‘cuddle pockets’ that allow stillborn babies to be transported to hospital with compassion.

The knitted pockets have been donated by non-profit Needles and Hooks Angels and Preemies (NHAP), and are designed for stillborn babies born before 24 weeks gestation. The baby is placed inside the pocket which is tied together with ribbons.

The initiative is designed to help grieving parents and ensure that their babies are treated with dignity.

The clinical lead for the project, Steve Magee, said: “The loss of a baby is incredibly difficult for both the parents and the ambulance crews who attend”.

“Historically, our crews have had no compassionate way of wrapping and transporting premature stillborn babies and have had to improvise with the equipment they have”.

“We wanted to do something that would make the journey to hospital less distressing for everyone”.

“We’re hugely grateful to NHAP for knitting these unique cuddle pockets completely free-of-charge, and to The Consultant Midwife Group for Wales for supporting us to make this happen.”

Dignity and compassion

The cuddle pockets are set to be used on all of the Trust’s ambulances and rapid response vehicles.

Claire Roche, the Trust’s Executive Director of Quality and Nursing, said: “Dignity and compassion is so vital to improving the experience of families when they suffer a tragic pregnancy loss”.

“Thankfully, cuddle pockets will not be needed very often, but when they are, they can make such a difference for mothers, fathers and families”.

“For parents, knowing that their babies are being treated with the utmost respect is so important, as well as our staff feeling they are able to provide babies and their families with support and care when they need it most.”

A similar scheme is being run in King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which has provided a ‘cuddle cot’ for women whose babies were born prematurely so that their parents could spend some time with their baby before the funeral.

Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson said: “The increased concern for the grieving parents who have experienced the loss of an unborn child as well as the focus on the dignity of the child is certainly a sign of progress in the duty of care that we owe to mothers and their babies”.

“Sadly, it is in marked contrast to the continued abortion law in this country, which resulted in over 200,000 abortions in 2020 alone. These cuddle pockets rightly recognise that the life of every unborn child and his or her mother’s life matters. The abortion law in the UK says that the life of the unborn child only matters if we want it to matter.”

Critical appealto protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

The Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill can still be defeated at Third Reading, but only with your help.

Dear reader,

As you already likely know, the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill sadly passed Second Reading at the end of last month.

While it is very disappointing that the Bill passed Second Reading, an analysis published in The Independent shows that at least 36 MPs who supported the Bill did so only to allow further debate or because they had concerns that meant they won’t commit to supporting the Bill at Third Reading. Since then, our Public Affairs team has identified a number of other MPs who share these reservations.

With the vote passing by a margin of 55, just 28 MPs switching their stance to oppose the Bill would ensure it is defeated at Third Reading, so there is a clear path towards this Bill being defeated. We can still win this.

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For the sake of the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable lives that will be put at risk, we must win the vote and defeat this dangerous Bill.

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Our campaign in the run-up to Second Reading was the biggest and most expensive we have ever run and so it has made a significant dent in our limited financial resources.

We are now working on an even bigger campaign to defeat this dangerous Bill at Third Reading.

To ensure we effectively defeat this extreme assisted suicide Bill, we are aiming to raise at least £100,000 by midnight this Sunday (15 December 2024).

Every donation, no matter the size, will mean YOU can make a crucial difference in saving vulnerable lives from this extreme law change.

Will you make a donation now to help protect vulnerable lives from this major threat?

Critical appealto protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

The Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill can still be defeated at Third Reading, but only with your help.