Over 100,000 baby loss certificates have been issued since February 2024 to recognise the loss of unborn children who died at under 24 weeks gestation in England, says the Department of Health and Social Care.
The voluntary scheme was initially open to parents who suffered the loss of an unborn child since September 2018, but it was expanded in October 2024 to all losses irrespective of when they occurred.
Around 250,000 pregnancies end through miscarriage every year in the UK, it has been estimated, often in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Half of UK adults report that they, or a person known to them, have suffered a miscarriage or baby loss. Pregnancy losses after 24 weeks are registered as stillbirths.
Samantha Collinge, the lead bereavement midwife at George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and co-author of the independent Pregnancy Loss Review, said:
“The announcement today that 100,000 baby loss certificates have been issued to parents is a significant milestone… for the millions of people who have experienced pre-24 weeks baby loss.
“The huge number of certificates issued serves to demonstrate the real need for bereaved parents to have official recognition that their babies did exist and that their lives, however brief, really do matter.”
Chief Executive of the Miscarriage Association Vicki Robinson added: “These certificates provide official recognition that their baby existed, mattered and will never be forgotten. The positive difference that makes to so many at an extremely distressing time cannot be overstated.”
The baby loss certificate scheme was established on the recommendation of the 2023 Pregnancy Loss Review “intended to support the government and the NHS in creating a forward-looking approach to improve the safety and care experience for all those who have a pre-24-week baby loss”.
A memorial book for unborn babies lost to miscarriage has also been introduced in Scotland.
Last month, Business Minister Justin Madders said that he supported the extension of bereavement leave to parents who have lost a baby before 24 weeks.
“The loss of a baby at any stage is an incredibly difficult personal experience and the inquiry they conducted demonstrated a clear gap in support for those who experience pregnancy loss and need time to recover and grieve”, said Mr Madders.
NHS England recently extended paid leave to staff who suffer a miscarriage. The measure was introduced following a trial at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Hospital Trust which reported that staff were twice as likely to remain working there as a result.
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