This baby loss awareness week we would like to take a moment to recognise the importance of support for the siblings in families who have experienced the loss of a much-loved and longed for baby.

When deep in their own grief, parents and adult carers may struggle to know how to navigate the emotions and reactions other children in the family may be experiencing around the loss of their baby sibling, often a baby who they have never had the opportunity to meet.

Younger children can have diverse reactions including regression in developmental skills, tantrums and sleep disturbance, alongside the emotions of sadness, anger and confusion. Grief may often be expressed through physical symptoms such as a tummy ache. Children may have a fear that they have done something to cause the baby to die.

It can be challenging to gauge the level of understanding that a child may have around grief and baby loss. A truthful and clear explanation can enable them to try to make sense of the situation, reducing anxiety and confusion. Often a child will ask more questions when they are ready to hear more, and it is important to not overload them with too much information at any one time.

As a child grows and matures so to will their understanding of grief and loss. The support that they may need will change, and for many years they may not believe they need to talk about the loss or be supported in terms of their grief. Often intense feelings related to the loss of their sibling may bubble under the surface until they have the emotional maturity to be ready to address them in their own time.

There is no textbook for how to support a sibling who has experienced baby loss. Parents and adult carers will inevitably try their best at a very difficult time. For the sibling, knowing they are loved and supported will enable them to feel safe exploring their own feelings of grief when and how they are ready.

At Switalskis, we support those going through the unimaginable pain of losing a child. To show our support and help raise awareness, our team have dressed in blue and pink clothes to remind us of the babies many families have lost.

If you have experienced baby loss as a result of a medical mistake, please contact us. Switalskis Solicitors are experts in handling the sensitive and traumatic issues arising from stillbirths and neonatal deaths. We can provide you with expert advice and guide you through the claims process with compassion and care.

Books

For children:

The Dragonfly Story by Kelly Owen

Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine – activity book for grieving children by Diana Crossley

Charities

Child Bereavement UK

Child Bereavement UK helps families when a child grieves or when a child dies. They offer support face-to-face, telephone, video or instant messenger.

Winston’s Wish

Winston’s Wish offers free, accessible online grief support to children and young people across the UK who are bereaved or facing the death of someone important.

Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC)

ARC provides impartial information and support to help you decide on the next steps when parents receive the news that their baby may not be developing as expected.

Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS)

SANDS strives to ensure inequalities in pregnancy loss and baby death are reduced, and provides support to families when a baby has died.